STORY 


THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO, 


REV.   G.   R.   GLEIG,   M.A. 


X  E  W    V  O  R  K  : 

• 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     9  <i  V  A  R  K. 

1875. 


PREFACE, 

X 


I  SHALL  be  very  glad  if  the  following  attempt  to  describe 
the  great  military  operations  of  1815,  and  to  connect  th.ein 
'n  some  sort  with  the  state  of  public  and  private  feeling  as 
it  then  operated  both  in  this  country  and  at  the  seat  of  war, 
shall  prove  acceptable  to  the  class  of  readers  for  whom  it 
is  intended. 

My  object  has  not  been  to  enter  into  controversy  with, 
any  one.  I  believe  that  I  have  read  most  of  the  published 
accounts  of  the  Waterloo  Campaign  which  have  appeared 
both  here  and  on  the  Continent,  and  I  know  that  I  have 
always  had  before  me,  while  writing,  the  twelve  volumes 
of  Colonel  Gurwood's  invaluable  work.  If,  therefore,  my 
views  shall  in  some  respects  differ  from  those  which  others 
have  taken,  I  am  not  without  hope  that  they  will  prove, 
upon  investigation,  to  be  at  least  as  accurate. 

I  have  not  applied  to  many  of  the  minor  actors  in  the 
great  game  for  information  respecting  its  details.  Captain 
Siborne,  in  his  valuable  work,  has  saved  all  who  may  be 
curious  in  these  matters,  a  great  deal  of  trouble  ;  and  if  I 
shall  seem  somewhat  to  have  overlooked  the  advantages 
which  he  offers  to  me,  I  trust  that  he  will  not  on  that  ac- 
count consider  that  I  think  lightly  of  what  he  has  done. 


2067530 


PREFACE. 


His  History  will  always  stand  upon  its  own  merits ;  and  his 
plans  are  invaluable.  But  I  confess  that  my  recollections 
of  war  lead  me  somewhat  to  undervalue — perhaps  in  a 
measure  to  distrust — the  stories  told  in  perfect  good  faith 
by  parties  who  happen  to  be  the  heroes  of  them.  Modern 
battles  are  not  won  by  feats  of  individual  heroism  ;  indeed, 
many  gallant  deeds  achieved  embarrass  more  than  they 
facilitate  the  accomplishment  of  the  General's  plans.  I 
have,  therefore,  endeavored  as  much  as  possible  to  avoid 
entering  into  minute  narrations  of  these  things — except 
where  simple  facts  were  to  be  stated ;  and  I  hope  that  this 
course  will  prove  satisfactory  to  my  readers. 

Finally,  I  have  to  throw  myself  on  the  indulgence  of  the 
public  on  account  of  errors,  which,  though  I  have  not  been 
able  to  detect  them,  may  abound  in  my  narrative  ;  of  what- 
ever nature  these  be,  they  are  certainly  not  wilful ;  for  I 
have  left  no  means  that  were  accessible  to  me  unexplored, 
in  order  to  guard  against  them.  But  a  work  would  not  be 
human  which  was  free  from  such  ;  and  mine  must  take  its 
fthanee. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  State  of  Europe  consequent  on  the  Peace  of  Paris       "."''.  7 
II.  Proceedings  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna — Escape  of  Napoleon 

from  Elba .        .11 

III.  Arrival  of  Napoleon  in  Paris,  and  its  immediate  Consequences  24 

IV.  Distribution  of  the  hostile  Armies  early  in  June        ...  32 
V.  State  of  Brussels  and  the  Netherlands  in  the  early  Summer 

of  1815          .  .        .       „     ..i     -,.  .41 

VI.  Continued  Preparations  on  both  sides        .....  47 

VII.  Rumors  of  Coming  Events — Commencement  of  Hostilities       .  54 
VIII.  Concentration  of  the  English  and  Prussian  Annies  at  Quatre 

Bras  and  Ligny            65 

IX.  Battle  of  Quatre  Bras 73 

X.  Battle  of  Quatre  Bras — continued             82 

XI.  Battle  of  Ligny 88 

XII.  Battle  of  Ligny — continued 99 

XIII.  The  Night  after  the  Battle 110 

XIV.  Movement  on  Mont  St.  Jean            118 

XV.  State  of  Feeling  where  the  War  was  not          ....  125 

XVI.  Movements  of  the  French  on  the  17th  of  June         .        .        .  133 
XVII.  Operations  of  Retreat,  and  Pursuit  to  Wavre           .        .        .141 

XVIII.  The  Position  of  Waterloo 149 

XIX.  French  Position 161 

XX.  Last  Preparations— First  Shots 168 

XXI.  Attack  and  Defence  of  Hougomont           .....  175 
XXII.  Advance  of  the  French  Centre  and  Left— Flight  of  Bylandt's 

Belgian  Brigade 183 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  r.UIK 

XXIII.  Attack  and  Defence  of  the  British  Left  Centre      .        .        .192 

XXIV.  Cavalry  Operations 201 

XXV.  Second  Attack  on  Hougomont — Advance    of  the    French 

Cavalry 208 

XXVI.  Renewed  Attack  of  Cavalry 21 G 

XXVII.  Continuance  of  the  Battle— Capture  of  La  Haye-Sainte       .  224 

XXVIII.  Advance  of  the  Prussians — Attack  from  La  Haye-Sainte     .  231 

XXIX.  Attack  of  the  Imperial  Guard 238 

XXX.  Close  of  the  Battle — Bivouac  of  the  British  Army          .         .  246 

XXXI.  State  of  Feeling  and  Condition  of  Things  in  the  Rear.        .  255 

XXXII.  Battle  of  Wavre 2Gi 

XXXIII.  Renewal  of  the  Battle— Retreat  of  Grouchy         .        .        .  270 

XXXIV.  Advance  of  the  English  Army 277 

XXXV.  Entrance  into  France — Abdication  of  Napoleon  j        .        ,  285 

XXXVI.  Advance  upon  Paris ,295 

XXXVII.  Occupation  of  Paris 304 


CHAPTER   I. 

State  of  Europe  consequent  on  the  Peace  of  Paris. 

ON  the  4th  of  April,  1814,  Napoleon  Bonaparte  descended 
from  the  throne  of  France.  The  deed  of  abdication — at  first 
personal,  though  subsequently  so  altered  as  to  include  the  family 
of  the  fallen  Emperor — was  signed  at  Fontainebleau ;  whereupon 
the  victor  in  a  hundred  fights,  bidding  farewell  to  the  wreck  of 
his  guards,  proceeded  to  establish  himself  in  the  island  of  Elba, 
which  had  been  assigned  to  him  in  the  twofold  capacity  of  a 
principality  and  a  prison.  Thus — after  much  suffering,  and  long 
years  of  alternate  triumph  and  defeat — the  purposes  of  the  rev- 
olution of  1789  seemed  to  be  accomplished.  France,  having 
passed  through  the  various  stages  of  anarchy,  republicanism,  the 
Consulate,  and  the  Empire,  sought  refuge  from  dismemberment 
in  submission  to  her  ancient  rulers,  while  her  people,  guarding 
their  personal  liberties  by  wise  enactments  against  the  encroach- 
ments of  kingly  power,  were  received  once  more — or  seemed  to 
be — with  hearty  good  will  into  the  bosom  of  the  great  European 
family. 

Throughout  the  whole  course  of  the  war  of  liberation,  the  con- 
duct of  the  Allied  Sovereigns  had  been  magnanimous  in  the  ex- 
treme ;  their  manner  of  conducting  the  negotiations  which  led 
to  the  p"eace  of  1814  well  sustained  their  character  for  moderation. 
Territorial  France  was  indeed  reduced  within  the  limits  which 


8  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.        [CHAP.  i. 

circumscribed  her  in  1792  ;  but  from  everything  like  interference 
with  the  management  of  her  internal  affairs  the  Allies  religiously 
abstained.  Louis  XVIII.  was  permitted  to  enter  with  his  sub- 
jects into  whatever  political  compact  might  seem  expedient  to 
both  parties.  The  constitution  which  he  established  was  neither 
dictated  by  foreign  influence  nor  sustained  by  foreign  intrigue. 
Of  the  charter  by  which  it  was  confirmed,  he  was  himself  the  au- 
thor. His  court,  his  army,  the  municipal  institutions  of  the 
country — the  affairs  of  the  church — the  administration  of  the 
laws — were  all  left  to  his  own  adjustment ;  because  from  the 
spirit  of  the  proclamation  which  they  issued  when  first  entering 
France  the  invaders  refused  to  be  diverted.  They  had  proclaimed 
to  the  world,  by  the  document  in  question,  that  their  war  was  not 
with  France,  but  with  Napoleon ;  and  now  that  success  had  en- 
abled them  to  set  that  individual  aside,  there  existed  no  further 
grounds  of  hostility  towards  any  one.  However,  while  care  was 
taken  to  abstain  from  all  appearance  of  dictation  in  regard  to 
the  form  of  government  which  the  French  people  might  prefer, 
the  public  choice  was  no  sooner  made  known  than  the  Allied 
Sovereigns  acquiesced  in  it;  and  the  better  to  demonstrate  their 
confidence  in  the  good  faith  of  the  nation,  they  entered  into 
negotiations  for  the  surrender  of  the  fortresses,  and  made  ar- 
rangements for  returning  as  soon  as  possible  to  their  respective 
countries. 

But  though  an  excellent  spirit  swayed  them  in  their  dealings 
with  France,  there  were  not  wanting,  among  the  Allies  them- 
selves, many  and  urgent  causes  of  disunion.  The  result  of  twenty 
years  of  war  was  to  leave,  in  1814,  not  one  European  nation  pre- 
cisely the  same,  in  regard  either  to  its  political  influence  or  its 
territorial  importance  that  it  had  been  in  1792.  Austria  and 
Prussia  had  both  suffered  dismemberment,  and  had  gathered 
themselves  up  again  more  than  once.  Belgium  and  Holland, 
after  being  absorbed  in  the  French  empire,  now  stood  apart,  the 
former  without  any  ostensible  head  at  all.  The  States  of  the 
Confederation  of  the  Rhine  might  be  freed  from  the  tyranny  of 
their  protector,  but  they  neither  knexv  themselves,  nor  were  others 
prepared  to  tell  them,  into  what  new  arrangement  they  should 


CHAP,  i.]  STATE  OF  EUROPE  IN  1814.  !> 

enter.  Italy  was  in  confusion ;  and  the  relations  of  Russia  towards 
her  neighbors  on  every  "side  were  the  reverse  of  satisfactory. 
Hence,  though  they  saw  the  propriety  of  evacuating  without  do 
lay,  the  territories  of  a  people  whom  they  desired  to  conciliate, 
the  crowned  heads  made  no  haste  to  reduce  their  armies  to  a 
peace  establishment,  but  kept  them  up  till  the  result  of  the  con- 
ferences should  become  known,  at  which  it  was  proposed  to  settle, 
in  an  amicable  manner,  the  balance  of  power  in  Europe. 

In  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  this  generous  policy,  the  several 
posts  which  had  been  occupied  in  and  around  Paris  were,  on  the 
2nd  of  June,  given  over  by  the  Allied  troops  to  the  National 
Guard.  13y-and-by  tho  Emperors  of  Austria  and  Russia,  with 
the  King  of  Prussia,  took  their  departure ;  and  Louis  XVIII. 
proceeded  to  assemble  the  states  of  his  kingdom,  and  to  make  a 
public  declaration  of  the  principles  upon  which  France  was 
henceforth  to  be  governed. 

The  part  which  the  restored  monarch  was  thus  suddenly  called 
apon  to  play  proved  to  be  one  of  extraordinary  difficulty.  Two 
extreme  factions,  of  very  unequal  strength,  divided,  at  this  time, 
public  opinion  between  them.  On  the  one  hand  were  the  Repub- 
licans, numerous,  resolute,  and  free  of  speech,  who  demanded  the 
constitution  of  1791,  and  would  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less — 
<dn  the  other  the  Absolutists,  composed  chiefly  of  emigres  and  the 
indent  noblesse  of  tfie  south,  clamored  for  a  return  to  ancient 
usages.  The  Count  d'Artois,  and  to  a  certain  extent  Talleyrand 
himself,  stood  forward  as  the  heads  of  this  latter  party  ;  the  for- 
mer, to  the  surprise  of  the  rest  of  Europe,  found  an  able  sup- 
porter in  the  Emperor  Alexander  of  Russia.  But  the  King 
refused  to  put  himself  into  the  hands  of  either.  When  the  Repub- 
licans made  a  tender  of  the  throne  on  the  conditions  which  to 
themselves  appeared  expedient,  Louis  XVIII.  declined  to  enter- 
tain their  proposal.  He  told  them  that  the  throne  was  his  by  the 
same  right  which  had  secured  it  to  his  ancestors  ;  and  that  what- 
ever concessions  he  might  be  disposed  to  make  to  the  popular 
will,  ho  should  make  of  his  own  accord  as  an  act  of  grace,  and 
not  in  the  terms  of  a  bargain.  When  the  Absolutists  urged  him 
to  govern  without  the  aid  of  a  parliament,  he  refused  to  make  so 

1* 


10  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.        [CHAP.  i. 

rash  an  experiment.  The  result  was  the  Charter  of  the  4th  June, 
1814,  of  which,  though  it  contained  in*  abundance  the  elements 
of  a  rational  freedom,  both  the  manner  of  giving,  and  the  spirit 
of  the  gift  itself,  were  peculiarly  unsuited  to  the  genius  of  the 
French  people.  As  a  necessary  consequence  the  work,  however 
well  designed,  failed  tc  effect  its  purpose ;  and  events  were  pre- 
cipitated of  which  the  more  immediate  causes  may  be  stated  in 
few  words. 

It  was  impossible  for  the  King  of  France,  circumstanced  as  he 
was,  to  satisfy  any  section  of  any  one  of  the  parties  into  which 
the  nation  was  divided.  He  could  not,  cither  in  policy  or  in 
justice,  yield  to  the  demands  of  the  Royalists ;  and  his  refusal  to 
throw  the  country  in  a  flame  by  wresting  their  estates  from  exist- 
ing holders,  lost  for  him,  in  a  great  measure,  the  confidence  of 
that  somewhat  unreasonable  body.  In  like  manner  the  bulk  of 
the  church's  property  was  gone  beyond  the  reach  of  recovery  ; 
and  his  endeavor  to  compensate  for  the  loss  of  their  possessions, 
by  heaping  honors  upon  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
upon  them  alone,  while  it  served  but  in  part  to  conciliate  the 
priesthood,  gave  great  umbrage  to  the  rest  of  his  subjects.  Franco 
was  not,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  any  more  than 
at  the  close  of  the  last,  remarkable  for  her  attachment  to  the  re- 
ligious principle,  and  the  revival  in  her  streets  and  churches  of 
the  pomp  and  parade  of  the  Roman  Catholic  worship  especially 
offended  her.  A  similar  effect  was  produced  by  the  issuing  of 
an  ordinance  which  forbade  the  prosecution  of  men's  ordinary 
callings  on  the  Lord's  day.  This  arrangement,  however  just, 
because  founded  on  a  divine  command,  was  treated  by  the  French 
people  as  a  grievance,  and  its  supposed  authors  were  covered 
with  alternate  ridicule  and  abuse.  And  when  in  addition  to  this 
an  order  came  out,  that  the  troops  should  march  to  church  and 
be  present  at  divine  service,  public  indignation  burst  forth  witli 
a  cry  which  was  quite  appalling. 

It  was  at  this  unhappy  moment  that  the  King  and  his  advisers 
set  about  what  they  considered  lo  be  a  reform  of  the  military 
institutions  of  the  country.  The  army  was  greatly  reduced  iu 
numbers ;  and  of  the  men  still  n  nninally  retained  on  the  raus 


CHAP,  i.]  STATE  OP  EUROPE  IN  1814.  11 

tor-rolls  of  regiments,  not  fewer  than  one  hundred  thousand  were 
sent  home  on  furlough.  In  the  room  of  the  Imperial  Guard — 
which  was  wholly  disbanded — came  a  body  of  Swiss,  and  a  garde- 
d u  corps,  dressed  in  red,  and  recruited  from  La  Vendee.  The 
tricolor-flag  likewise,  under  which  so  much  glory  mixed  with 
many  reverses  had  been  acquired,  made  way  for  the  ancient  stand- 
ard of  the  Bourbons ;  and  the  very  numbers  of  the  regiments 
as  well  as  the  titles  of  officers  of  rank  were  changed.  French 
soldiers  heard  no  more  of  their  generals  of  division  and  of  bri- 
gade, but  found  themselves  under  the  orders  of  lieutenant-gen- 
erals and  marechals-du  camp.  All  these  arrangements  were  ex- 
ceedingly unwise  ;  and  their  folly  stood  the  more  prominently 
forward,  that  while  in  themselves  they  did  not  deserve  a  mo- 
ment's consideration,  the  nation,  and  especially  the  army,  re- 
garded them  as  premeditated  insults,  especially  when  it  was  ob- 
served that  they  all  bore  and  were  intended  to  bear  upon  the 
events  of  by-gone  times.  For  example,  the  King  dated  the  first 
of  his  ordinances,  the  decree  which  granted  the  Charter,  and  of- 
ficially settled  the  government,  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  his 
reign — thus  ostentatiously  treating  the  entire  space  of  the  Re- 
public and  the  Empire  as  a  blank.  In  the  same  spirit,  while  he 
continued  in  their  situations  almost  all  the  civil  functionaries 
that  served  under  the  Empire,  he  never  spoke  of  the  Empire  it- 
self except  as  the  Usurpation.  As  to  the  military  classes,  his 
jealousy  of  them  was  shown  by  the  requirement,  that  no  officer 
reduced  to  half-pay  should  reside  in  Paris,  unless  he  coulJ  show 
that  his  natural  home  was  there.  And  the  numbers  reduced  to 
half-pay  were  very  great.  It  would  have  been  strange  kad  the 
parties  thus  dealt  with  failed  to  take  offence ;  and  it  was  pecul- 
iarly unfortunate  for  the  government  that  the  manners  of  the 
court — especially  of  the  female  .portion  of  it — went  far  to  increase 
this  feeling.  Finally,  when  the  bones  of  certain  Chouan  and 
Vcndean  chiefs  were  exhumed  at  the  public  expense,  that  they 
might  be  buried  with  great  honor  in  consecrated  ground  ;  when 
a  solemn  funeral  service  was  performed  for  the  soul  of  Marie  An- 
toinette in  the  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame ;  and  a  monument  was 
erected  on  the  shores  of  Quiberon  Bay  to  the  Royalists  who  fell 


12  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.         [CHAP.  i. 

there  fighting  against  France ;  a  cry  arose  that  time  was  about 
to  be  rolled  back,  and  that  not  only  the  family  but  the  prejudice^ 
of  the  ancient  regime  were  all  to  be  forced  upon  France. 

In  such  a  state  of  things,  and  amid  the  feelings  of  discontent 
which  were  produced  by  it,  no  sentiment  of  loyalty  to  the  throne, 
or  respect  for  the  constitution,  could  strike  root.  Indeed,  the 
constitution  itself  operated  as  little  else  than  a  perpetual  eyesore 
to  the  great  body  of  the  people.  By  fixing  the  money-qualifica- 
tion at  a  rate  unnecessarily  high,  the  King  gave  the  right  of  vote 
to  not  more  than  800,000  persons ;  while  his  establishment  of  a 
body  of  hereditary  legislators,  in  a  country  which  could  not  un- 
derstand their  value,  weakened  instead  of  giving  strength  to  the 
principle  which  it  was  meant  to  sustain.  The  truth  is,  that 
France,  unripe  in  1814  for  self-government  at  all,  was  especially 
averse  to  institutions  which,  however  excellent  in  themselves, 
had  been  borrowed,  or  were  supposed  to  be,  from  England.  In- 
deed France,  though  weary  of  war,  was  still  mad  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  military  glory.  People  met  in  coffee-houses,  or  stood  at 
the  corners  of  streets,  to  discuss  past  events  and  speculate  on  the 
future,  and  such  speculations  gradually  took  a  tone  which  was 
not  very  favorable  to  the  maintenance  of  quiet.  This  was  espe- 
cially the  case  when  a  host  of  disbanded  soldiers  began  to  pass 
to  and  fro  among  them,  and  declaim  about  tarnished  honor.  In 
particular,  the  loss  of  Flanders  and  the  abandonment  of  the 
Rhenish  frontier  furnished  fruitful  topics  of  complaint ;  while 
recent  disasters  were  all  referred  to  the  treachery  of  individuals, 
not  to  the  superior  valor  of  the  invaders,  or  the  inability  of 
France,  to  avert  them.  It  was  reiterated,  moreover,  that  the 
Bourbons  had  been  forced  upon  a  reluctant  nation  by  foreign 
bayonets,  and  that  the  glory  and  the  grandeur  of  France  were 
the  price  at  which  a  hateful  family  had  purchased  back  the  privi- 
lege of  occupying  a  throne  which  was  not  sustained  by  the  love 
of  the  people.  Accordingly,  the  summer  of  1814  was  yet  young 
when  plots  and  conspiracies  began  to  be  concocted,  which  grew 
continually  more  formidable,  and  spread  their  ramifications  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  winter  into  circles  which  enjoyed,  or  seemed 


CHAP,  i.]  STATE  OF  EUROPE  IN  1814.  12 

to  enjoy,  the  confidence  of  the  prince  whom  they  sought  oppor- 
tunity to  betray. 

Meanwhile  Napoleon,  from  his  island  principality,  watched  the 
progress  of  opinion  in  France  with  a  keen  eye.  As  no  restriction 
seems  to  have  been  imposed  on  his  correspondence,  he  received 
daily  tidings  of  the  proceedings  of  his  friends,  and  the  blunders 
of  his  enemies ;  and  began,  ere  long,  to  make  arrangements  for  a 
design  of  which  posterity  must  forever  be  at  loss  whether  to  ad- 
mire the  most,  its  exceeding  boldness  or  the  marvellous  success 
which  attended  it.  Nor  will  other  causes  of  wonder  be  wanting, 
in  the  entire  absence  of  suspicion  from  those  whom  duty  and 
interest  alike  ought  to  have  stirred  to  exceeding  watchfulness. 
IIow  a  secret  which  appears  to  have  been  confided  to  many  hundred 
persons  in  all  parts  of  the  world  should  have  escaped  the  vigilance 
of  the  French  police,  it  is  very  difiicult  to  conceive.  And  our 
astonishment  is  increased  when  we  remember  that  the  government 
of  France,  by  the  exercise  of  an  unwise  economy,  had  afforded  to 
the  exile  plausible  grounds'  on  which  to  complain  of  a  breach  in 
the  treaty  that  bound  him  to  a  state  of  quietude.  Nevertheless, 
it  is  certain,  that  while  Napoleon's  correspondence  with  Paris 
grew  continually  more  voluminous,  and  a  recurrence  to  the  glo- 
ries of  the  Empire  began  to  enter  largely  into  men's  topics  of 
daily  conversation ;  while  songs  were  sung  in  the  streets,  of  which 
it  was  difficult  to  mistake  the  meaning;  and  at  the  house  of  the 
ex-Emperor's  sister  soirees  were  held,  of  the  right  of  admission  to 
which  a  violet  worn  in  the  dress  constituted  the  symbol,  neither 
the  King  nor  his  ministers  entertained,  or  seemed  to  entertain, 
the  slightest  apprehension  that  a  counter-revolution  was  medi- 
tated. And  the  sense  of  security  which  they  experienced  being 
imparted,  as  was  natural,  to  the  Allies,  all  things  went  on 
throughout  Europe  as  if  the  peace  of  Paris  were  to  be  eternal. 
But  the  passage  of  a  few  months  sufficed  to  dissipate  the  illusion. 


14  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.       [CHAP.  H. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Proceedings  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna — EJ  xxpe  of  Napoleon  from  Elba. 

THE  Congress  of  Vienna,  which  ought  to  have  assembled  in 
July,  1814,  did  not  meet  till  the  month  of  September.  It  gave 
little  promise  from  the  outset  of  much  unanimity  of  sentiment ; 
for  on  two  subjects,  preliminary  to  all  others,  the  representatives 
of  the  Great  Powers  stood  apart.  First,  the  question  of  relative 
rank  was  mooted;  and  so  uniform  is  human  nature  in  all  circles, 
and  so  full  of  weaknesses  under  every  variety  of  circumstances, 
that  about  an  arrangement  of  mere  etiquette  the  statesmen  to 
whose  care  the  welfare  of  Europe  was  committed  had  well  nigh 
separated  in  anger.  Happily,  the  Emperor  Alexander  took  of 
this  knotty  point  a  more  rational  view  than  his  colleagues.  He 
proposed  that  the  ministers  of  the  various  countries  should  have 
precedence  in  the  alphabetical  order  of  the  courts  which  they 
represented,  and  did  not  refuse  to  gratify  the  pride  of  Austria 
and  the  vanity  of  France,  by  placing  the  Russian  signature  under 
both  of  them  on  the  list. 

This  obstacle  being  removed  another  presented  itself,  which 
threatened  for  a  while  far  more  serious  consequences,  and  which 
was  not  surmounted  at  last  without  leaving  the  seeds  of  after 
disunion  behind.  The  Northern  Powers,  as  they  were  called, 
contended,  that  forasmuch  as  Europe  had  been  delivered  througli 
their  exertions  and  the  strenuous  co-operation  of  England  and 
of  Austria,  in  them,  conjointly  with  Austria  and  England,  was 
vested  the  right  to  dispose  of  the  territories  won  from  France, 
without  any  reference  to  France  herself  or  to  other  powers  of 
Europe.  Perhaps  there  might  be  strict  justice  in  this  demand, 
but  there  was  neither  generosity  nor  political  wisdom ;  and  it 
was  instantly  protested  against  by  the  representative  of  France. 
Lord  Castlercagh  did  not  hesitate  to  view  the  subject  in  the  same 


CHAP,  ii.]  CONGRESS  OF  VIENNA.  1? 

light  with  Talleyrand,  and  by-and-by  Prince  Mctternich  pro. 
fessed  a  similar  opinion  ;  whereupon  a  protracted  and  somewhat 
warm  correspondence  ensued,  which  euied,  however,  in  the  aban- 
donment of  the  claim.  The  result  was,  that  the  right  of  France 
and  of  Spain  to  vote  upon  the  question  was  recognized  equally 
with  those  of  Austria,  England,  Prussia,  and  Russia ;  and  Por 
tugal,  Sweden,  and  the  Pope  himself  being  subsequently  added, 
the  council  of  partition,  so  to  speak,  became  full. 

No  great  difficulty  was  experienced  in  settling  the  affairs  of 
the  Netherlands,  or  in  doing  justice,  as  it  was  called,  to  Hanover, 
Sweden,  Lombardy,  and  Savoy.  A  junction  of  Belgium  with  the 
Seven  United  Provinces  made  up  the  kingdom  of  the  Nether- 
lands, of  which  the  crown  was  bestowed  upon  Frederick  William 
of  Holland  ;  while  Hanover  was  compensated  on  one  side  for  the 
territory  which  she  gave  to  Prussia  on  another ;  and  Sweden 
yielded  to  Denmark  a  portion  of  her  soil,  on  condition  that  Nor- 
way should  be  permanently  annexed  to  her.  We  have  nothing 
to  do,  in  the  present  narrative,  with  the  consequences  of  this  latter 
paction.  Sweden  might  be  satisfied  with  it,  but  Norway  was  not 
and  she  offered  as  much  resistance  as  her  weakness  would  permit, 
though  without  avail.  In  like  manner  Austria  took  possession  of 
the  plains  of  Lombardy,  amid  the  loud  but  vain  murmurs  of  the 
inhabitants  ;  and  the  ancient  Republic  of  Genoa,  after  protesting 
against  the  wrong,  became  an  integral  portion  of  the  kingdom  of 
Savoy.  Not  so  easily  dealt  with  were  the  claims  of  Prussia  and 
Russia.  The  former,  referring  to  some  arrangements  in  1813,  to 
which  Russia  and  Austria  were  parties,  insisted  upon  extending 
her  sway  over  the  whole  of  Saxony.  The  King  of  Saxony,  if. 
was  said,  by  adhering  to  the  French  alliance,  and  putting  himself 
out  of  the  pale  of  German  society,  had  forfeited  all  right  to  bo 
dealt  with  as  a  sovereign  prince,  and  Prussia,  as  the  state  which 
had  suffered  most  in  the  cause  of  public  liberty,  was  entitled  to 
annex  his  kingdom  to  her  own.  In  like  manner  Russia,  having 
expelled  the  French  from  Poland,  insisted  that  the  sovereignty 
of  the  whole  country  had  devolved  upon  her,  and  refused  to  relin- 
quish a  single  province  of  it.  Now,  though  it  might  be  true  that 
the  King  of  Saxony  delayed  too  long  in  joining  the  Northern 


IG  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.       [CHAP.  ir. 

Alliance,  it  was  equally  certain  that  the  passing  over  of  his  troops 
during  the  battle  of  Leipzic  had  operated  an  important  diversion 
in  their  favor  ;  and  his  personal  character  being  much  and  deserv- 
edly respected,  there  was  a  strong  reluctance  everywhere,  except 
with  Russia  and  Prussia,  to  crush  him.  Besides,  Austria  had  no 
desire  to  find  herself  closed  in,  upon  the  right  and  left,  with  two 
such  empires  as  Russia  and  Prussia,  after  these  changes,  would 
become.  She  therefore  refused  to  sanction  the  proposed  arrange- 
ments, and  found  both  in  France  and  England  a  ready  concur- 
rence with  her  views ;  on  the  other  hand,  Russia  and  Prussia 
remained  obstinate.  The  former  halted  her  armies  in  Poland, 
and  spoke  of  leading  a  portion  of  them  into  Moravia  if  necessary  ; 
the  latter,  so  far  from  reducing,  increased  the  numbers  of  her 
regulars,  and  declined  to  send  her  Landwehr  to  their  homes.  As 
a  necessary  consequence,  Austria,  England,  and  France  entered 
into  a  separate  alliance,  and  agreeing  each  to  keep  on  foot  a  force 
of  150,000  men,  made  dispositions  for  quartering  them  upon  lines 
whence  they  might  be  able  to  move  with  the  greatest  facility,  to 
meet  and  repress  the  threatened  danger. 

With  whatever  secrecy  the  negotiations  for  this  counter-alliance 
might  have  been  conducted,  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  gradually 
got  abroad,  and  the  tone  of  the  two  Northern  Powers  was  lowered. 
Neither  made  any  secret  of  the  ill  humor  with  which  she  was 
affected  ;  indeed,  the  Emperor  of  Russia  expressed  himself  in 
terms  which,  however  justified  by  the  event,  had  no  tendency  at 
the  moment  to  allay  the  irritation  which  prevailed  on  all  sides. 
He  spoke,  wherever  he  went,  of  the  unfitness  of  the  elder  branch 
of  the  Bourbons  to  reign  ;  and  foretold,  that  ere  many  years 
passed,  they  would  be  superseded  by  the  house  of  Orleans.  In 
the  same  spirit  he  took  under  his  special  protection  the  only  relic 
of  the  Napoleonic  crowned  heads  which  had  survived  the  fall  of 
their  creator.  Murat,  King  of  Naples,  whose  existence  was  a 
continued  eyesore  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria  and  King  of  France, 
he  pronounced  to  be  a  legitimate  member  of  the  Holy  Alliance  ; 
and  though  rumors  were  rife  of  the  evil  designs  of  that  personaare, 
and  the  increase  to  the  strength  of  his  army  which  daily  went  on, 
gave  to  them  a  strong  show  of  reason,  Alexander  refused  to 


CHAP,  ii.]  CONGRESS  OF  VIENNA.  17 

sanction  any  measure  which  should  seem  to  aim  at  his  over 
throw, 

All  this  while  the  situation  of  Murat  himself  was  as  equivocal 
as  it  was  unsafe.  A  vain  man,  and  jealous,  perhaps  naturally  so, 
of  his  rights,  he  endeavored  to  command  from  the  fears  of  his 
neighbors  the  respect  which  would  have  been  best  secured  by 
conciliating  their  good  will.  He  recruited  his  army  to  an  extent 
out  of  all  proportion  to  his  wants  ;  and  caused  suspicious  of  his 
integrity  to  be  entertained,  which  in  some  sort  led  to  their  own 
confirmation.  It  was  rumored  in  Yienna,  for  example,  that  he 
was  in  correspondence  with  Napoleon,  and  intended  to  make  him- 
self master  of  the  whole  of  Italy  south  of  the  Po  ;  and  the  en- 
croachments which  he  had  begun  to  make  upon  the  Papal  States 
gave  to  the  report  every  semblance  of  probability.  Without  a 
moment's  hesitation,  therefore,.  Austria  proposed  to  dethrone  him, 
and  to  remove  Napoleon  to  a  more  distant  place  of  exile  than 
that  to  which  he  had  been  sent.  But  Alexander  of  Russia  would 
not  listen  to  either  suggestion.  There  was  no  proof  of  Murat's 
treachery — his  own  personal  honor  was  pledged  in  regard  to  the 
undisturbed  residence  of  Napoleon  where  he  was  ;  and  thus  the 
march  of  the  force  which  Austria  had  equipped  for  an  Italian 
campaign  was  suspended ;  and  the  Exile  of  Elba  continued  to 
mature  at  his  leisure  the  gigantic  project  which  was  well  nigh  ripe 
for  execution. 

Such  was  the  state  of  feeling  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  and 
such  the  attitude  of  mutual  distrust  assumed  by  the  representa- 
tives of  the  powers  there  assembled,  when  an  event  befell  whicli 
turned  the  attention  of  all  into  a  new  channel.  On  the  7th  of 
March,  1815,  during  the  progress  of  a  grand  ball  at  the  house  of 
Prince  Metternich,  tidings  arrived  that  Napoleon  had  escaped 
from  Elba.  The  consternation  excited  in  the  minds  of  the  few 
to  whom  this  fact  was  communicated  could  be  equalled  only  by 
their  astonishment.  At  first  there  appeared  to  be  an  inclination 
to  question  the  truth  of  the  report;  but  when  the  evidence  on 
which  it  rested  came  to  be  weighed,  conviction  of  its  truth  en- 
tered into  every  mind,  and  the  effect  produced  was  as  wonderful 
as  it  was  instantaneous.  In  a  moment  all  the  grounds  of  differ- 


18  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.       [CIIAP!  n. 

ence  "which,  up  to  that  hour,  seemed  to  threaten  the  most  serious 
consequences,  were  forgotten.  Russia  withdrew  her  claim  upon 
the  whole  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Warsaw,  Prussia  consented  to 
leave  to  Saxony  a  mutilated  independence,  Austria  thought  no 
more  of  guarding  her  Moravian  frontier,  and  the  Germanic  Con- 
federation, as  yet  but  partially  organized,  drew  together  like  an 
institution  of  ancient  standing.  There  was  but  one  thought,  one 
voice,  among  the  powers  thus  forced  into  a  renewed  alliance. 
They  were  again  banded  together  for  the  defence  of  Europe — 
their  common  enemy  was  in  the  field,  whom  it  was  their  common 
duty  to  put  down  ;  and,  to  accomplish  this  purpose,  they  agreed 
with  one  consent  that  their  best  energies  should  immediately  be 
directed. 

For  a  day,  and  only  for  a  day,  the  councils  of  the  Allies  were 
distracted  by  their  ignorance  in  regard  to  the  point  on  the  Conti- 
nent to  which  Napoleon  might  have  betaken  himself.  At  first  it 
was  imagined,  and  not  without  apparent  reason,  that  his  landing 
would  be  effected  in  Naples,  where  Joachim  Murat  had  for  some 
time  past  been  making  preparations  for  war.  In  this  case  Aus- 
tria felt  that  on  her  would  devolve  the  necessity  of  striking  the 
first  blow ;  and  she  was  both  ready  and  willing  to  do  so.  But 
when  the  lapse  of  four-and-twenty  hours  brought  the  truth  of  the 
case  to  light,  the  necessity  of  a  more  cautious,  thought  not  less 
energetic  plan  of  operations,  became  apparent.  On  the  9th  it 
was  known  that  Napoleon  had  thrown  himself  on  shore  near  Frc- 
jus,  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Juan  ;  that  he  had  taken  the  road  for 
Paris  through  the  mountains  of  Gap  :  that  the  garrison  of  Greno- 
ble, including  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Labedoyere,  had  joined 
him  ;  and  that  he  was  marching  in  triumph  on  Lyons.  All  this 
pointed  to  a  bolder  policy  than  the  invasion  of  Italy.  It  showed 
that  he  had  thrown  for  no  less  a  stake  than  the  sovereignty  of 
France ;  and  the  eagerness  with  which  the  French  troops  gath- 
ered round  his  standard  foretold  that  the  game  was  in  his  favor. 
Once  more,  therefore,  France — or,  at  least,  her  ruler — must  be 
put  without  the  pale  of  European  society  ;  and  the  Allies  lost  no 
time  in  proclaiming  to  the  world  that  they  were  prepared  so  to 
deal  with  the  occasion. 


CHAP,  ii.]  RESOLUTIONS   OP  TIJE  ALLIES.  19 

At  the  first  meeting  which  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  for- 
mally deliberating  on  the  course  which  under  existing  circum- 
stances it  might  be  expedient  to  pursue,  Prince  Metternich  spoke 
out  in  a  tone  becoming  the  position  of  the  power  which  he  repre- 
sented. Napoleon  had  given  out,  during  his  advance  upon  Gre- 
noble, that  his  return  to  France  was  sanctioned  and  would  be 
supported  by  Austria :  it  was  expedient  that  the  world  should 
be  undeceived  in  regard  to  this  matter,  and  that  Austria  should 
at  once  clear  herself  from  suspicions  to  which  the  nature  of  the 
family  tie  that  subsisted  between  the  House  of  Hapsburg  and 
the  intruder  could  not  fail  of  giving  some  kind  of  plausibility. 
Accordingly,  on  the  12th  of  March,  Prince  Metternich  proposed 
to  his  colleagues  a  series  of  resolutions,  which  they  immediately 
adopted,  and  of  which  the  publication  left  no  room  for  doubt  in 
regard  to  the  policy  on  which  they  were  prepared  to  act.  The 
resolutions  in  cfuestion  stated,  "  that  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  in 
quitting  the  island  of  Elba,  and  disembarking  in  France  at  the 
head  of  an  armed  force,  had  openly  rendered  himself  the  dis- 
turber of  the  public  peace  ;  that  as  such  he  could  no  longer  claim 
the  protection  of  any  treaty  or  law ;  that  the  Powers  who  had 
signed  the  treaty  of  Paris  felt  themselves  in  an  especial  manner 
called  upon  to  declare,  in  the  face  of  Europe,  in  what  light  they 
viewed  that  attempt ;  that  they  were  resolved  at  all  hazards  to 
carry  into  effect  the  whole  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  Paris  ;  and 
were  prepared  to  support  the  King  of  France  with  all  their  forces, 
in  the  event  of  such  assistance  being  necessary."  These  resolu- 
tions, which  had  been  previously  seen  and  approved  by  Talley- 
rand, were  accepted  with  acclamation  by  the  representatives  of 
the  other  powers ;  and  a  paper  appeared  the  same  day  imbody- 
ing  them,  to  which  the  signatures  of  Metternich,  Talleyrand) 
Wellington,  Ilardenberg,  Nesselrode,  arid  LSwenhielm  were  ap- 
pended. 

Having  dispatched  this  energetic  and  decisive  proclamation  to 
I  'aris,  and  directed  the  messenger  who  conveyed  it  to  circulate 
copies  at  every  town  and  village  through  which  he  passed,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Congress  proceeded  to  arrange  their  plan  of  operations. 
It  was  agreed  that  the  Russian  army  now  in  Poland,  to  the  num- 


20  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  n. 

ber  of  280,000  men,  should  be  held  in  readiness  to  march  upon 
the  Upper  Rhine  at  a  moment's  notice  ;  Austria  was  to  raise  her 
army  in  Italy  to  150,000  and  with  100,000  more  to  reinforce  the 
army  of  Bavaria ;  Prussia  was  to  move  with  150,000  men  upon 
the  Lower  Rhine  ;  and  England,  with  as  many  more, — parti)' 
native,  partly  foreign  troops  in  her  pay — was  to  occupy  the  Neth- 
erlands. All  the  other  German  states  were  in  like  manner  to 
furnish  their  contingents,  and  Spain  and  Portugal  to  arm.  Thus 
it  was  calculated  that,  within  six  months  at  the  latest,  France,  as 
the  occasion  required,  could  be  invaded  by  600,000  men,  who,  ad- 
vancing from  different  sides,  would  all  be  able  to  unite  under 
the  walls  of  Paris,  and  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  win  again,  as 
they  had  done  before,  peace  for  Europe. 

While  the  Allies  are  thus  adjusting  their  differences,  and  making 
preparations  to  meet  the  coming  storm,  it  may  not  be  amiss  if  we 
trace  with  a  rapid  hand  the  progress  of  the  events  which  rendered 
such  preparations  immediately  necessary. 

When  by  the  treaty  of  Fontainebleau  the  island  of  Elba  was 
assigned  as  the  future  residence  of  the  deposed  French  Emperor, 
one  minister  of  the  Allied  Powers,  and  only  one,  protested 
against  it.  Lord  Castlereagh  warned  the  parties  who  were  con- 
senting to  this  arrangement  that  they  were  laying  up  for  them- 
selves, and  for  Europe  at  large,  the  elements  of  future  disturb- 
ance ;  and  it  is  now  well  known  that  the  exile  scarce  touched 
the  shores  of  his  new  principality  ere  he  began  to  provide  the 
means  of  verifying  this  prediction.  As  if  it  had  been  the  pur- 
pose, likewise,  of  his  too  generous  foes  to  tempt  him  into  a  second 
struggle  for  power,  they  left  him  in  the  command  of  an  ample 
revenue,  and  placed  at  his  disposal  an  armed  force,  inconsider- 
able, no  doubt,  in  point  of  numbers,  but  quite  sufficient,  circum- 
stanced as  both  he  and  they  were,  to  form  a  nucleus  round  which 
a  greater  might  gather.  No  care  was  taken,  moreover,  to  inter- 
rupt, or  even  to  impede,  his  communications  with  the  Continent. 
A  solitary  English  brig  of  war  had  it  in  charge  to  cruise  round 
about  the  island ;  but  jio  instructions  were  given  to  the  com- 
mander to  stop  or  examine  any  vessel  which  might  put'into  Porto 
Ferrajo,  or  to  see  that  Napoleon  himself  was  not  on  board  when 


CHAP,  ii.]    MURAT'S   CORRESPONDENCE   WITH  NAPOLEON.     iil 

it  should  put  to  sea  again.  The  strangest  delusion,  in  short,  to 
which  statesmen  ever  gave  themselves  up,  seems  to  have  come 
like  a  cloud  over  the  minds  of  potentates  and  their  ministers  in 
1814  ;  for  if  they  did  not  believe,  they  certainly  acted  as  if  they 
believed,  that  the  most  restless  spirit  which  the  world  had  ever 
seen  was  become  suddenly  in  love  with  retirement. 

It  would  be  an  old  story  to  tell  how  Napoleon  took  advantage 
of  the  unaccountable  fatuity  of  his  late  enemies.  It  would  be 
to  repeat  what  is  familiar  to  every  reader  of  history,  were  we  to 
say  how  eagerly  his  partisans  throughout  the  Continent  co- 
operated with  him.  In  the  hearts  of  the  great  body  of  the  soldiers 
of  France,  as  well  of  those  discharged  as  of  such  as  continued 
to  serve,  his  image  was  still  embalmed — and  care  was  taken  that 
there  should  be  mixed  up  with  the  memories  of  the  past,  strong 
hope  in  regard  to  the  future.  Beranger  tuned  his  harp  to  good 
purpose  in  a  cause  which  he  had  formerly  denounced.  Various 
soubriquets — the  sure  tokens  of  a  soldier's  love — were  bestowed 
upon  the  exile.  All  spoke  of  "  Pere  la  Violette"  and  the  "  Petit 
Caporal"  with  the  flush  of  excitement  on  their  cheeks,  and  whis- 
pered one  to  another  that  they  should  see  him  again  at  their 
head.  It  has  already  been  explained  with  what  apparent  in- 
dustry the  powers  that  were  labored  to  give  force  and  consistency 
to  these  sentiments  ;  and  that  they  did  not  work  in  vain,  the 
progress  of  less  than  twelve  months  gve  proof. 

All  this  while  Murat,  dissatisfied  both  with  his  position  and 
prospects,  maintained  thfough  trusty  agents  frequent  and  con- 
fidential intercourse  with  the  exile.  The  latter  does  not  appear 
to  have  built  much  upon  the  exertions  of  his  ancient  subaltern ; 
for  he  knew  the  worth  of  the  man,  and  dealt  with  him  accordingly. 
But  while  he  declined  to  trust  himself  in  Naples,  he  offered  no 
objection  to  the  diversion  which  Murat  proposed  to  effect  in  his 
favor  by  engaging  in  war  with  Austria.  Hence  the  eagerness  of 
the  intrusive  King  to  increase  the  numbers  of  an  army  already 
too  large  for  his  resources ;  of  which,  but  for  the  ill  humor  of 
Alexander  with  the  Alliance,  he  would  have  reaped,  long  before 
he  did,  the  fruits :  and  hence  also  the-  state  of  preparation  in 


22  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.       [CHAP.  n. 

which  Austria  stood,  to  deal  with  his  folly  when  it  should  display 
itself.  • 

AVhile  Murat  played  with  a  danger  which  was  destined  to 
crush  him,  Napoleon  preserved,  in  all  his  intercourse  with  the 
agents  of  the  Allied  Powers,  the  utmost  show  of  moderation. 
He  complained,  as  it  was  natural  that  he  should,  of  the  refusal 
of  the  French  Government  to  pay  the  stipend  which  had  been 
awarded  to  him  ;  and  appealed  for  redress  to  the  crowned  heads 
under  whose  guarantee  the  Treaty  of  Fontainebleau  had  been 
effected.  But  he  cautiously  abstained  from  everything  like  the 
language  of  threatening,  and  seemed  to  deplore  the  faults  which 
the  Bourbons  were  committing,  only  because  of  the  evils  which 
they  threatened  to  bring  upon  France.  Meanwhile,  however, 
neither  he  nor  his  agents  were  idle.  Hundreds  of  tricolored 
cockades  were  secretly  scattered  among  the  French  soldiers.  By 
twos  and  threes  deserters  from  the  French  ranks — men  of  tried 
courage  and  inured  to  war — came  over  to  him ;  and  being  re- 
ceived into  his  guard  soon  raised  the  numbers  of  his  little  army 
to  twelve  hundred.  He  did  not  desire  more.  The  winter  of 
1814  was  passed.  The  spring  of  1815  came  in,  with  better  hopes 
for  him  than  ever ;  and  he  was  too  bold  a  politician  to  let  them 
pass  unimproved. 

His  favorite  sister  Pauline,  bringing  other  ladies  in  her  train, 
paid  him  a  visit.  There  was  much  hospitality  with  great  appa- 
rent politeness,  at  the  palace  ;  and  much  talk  was  held  concern- 
ing the  improvements  which  he  meditated  both  in  the  form  and 
size  of  his  own  residence  and  in  the  harbor  and  town.  His 
guards  also  he  frequently  reviewed,  and  seemed  to  take  as  much 
pleasure  in  the  exercise  as  if  he  had  been  passing  a  whole  army 
before  him.  So  passed  the  beginning  of  February,  1815,  and  on 
the  26th  a  grand  entertainment  was  given  at  the  palace.  Sir 
Neil  Campbell,  the  English  resident  in  Elba,  was  not  there,  for 
he  had  gone  in  the  only  cruiser  that  observed  the  coast  to  Leg- 
horn;  but  the  representatives  of  Austria  and  Russia  were  pres- 
ent, and  marked  attention  was  paid  to  them.  Napoleon  walked 
through  the  several  halls,  saluting  his  guests  ;  and  then,  leaving 
the  ladies  to  do  the  rest,  went  about  his  own  business.  His 


CHAP.  ii.J  NAPOLEON   LANDS   AT  FREJUS.  23 

guards,  to  the  number  of  1100,  had  been  directed  to  parade  near 
the  quay  at  three  in  the  afternoon.  They  stood  under  arms  till 
half-past  four,  when  Napoleon  joined  them  ;  and  he  and  they 
were  all  on  board  of  ship  by  seven  o'clock  the  same  evening.  For 
this  facility  likewise  of  troubling  Europe  the  Allies  had  left  him, 
that  he  retained  at  his  disposal  a  flotilla  more  than  sufficient  to 
transport  his  troops  to  the  Continent  whenever  the  desire  of  doing 
eo  should  become  strong  with  him. 

How  he  bore  himself  during  that  brief  voyage — commanding 
the  respect  of  his  followers  by  the  calmness  and  self-possession  of 
his  manner — is  a  matter  of  history.  He  felt  from  the  moment 
that  his  foot  pressed  the  deck  that  "  the  die  was  cast ;"  and  when, 
on  baffling  winds  arising,  and  the  little  fleet  making  imperfect 
way,  it  was  proposed  to  put  back  to  Porto  Ferrajo  and  await  a 
more  favorable  opportunity,  he  scouted  the  idea — "  Officers  and 
soldiers  of  my  Guard,"  he  said,  "we  are  going  to  France;"  and 
the  shout  of  enthusiasm  with  which  the  announcement  was  greeted, 
told  how  well  he  understood  his  followers.  They  went  to  France. 
They  saw  a  French  frigate  at  a  distance,  but  it  nearcd  them  not, 
and  they  passed.  Napoleon  himself  answered  the  hail  from  a 
French  brig,  which  sought  to  be  informed  how  it  fared  with  the 
exile  of  Elba;  and  finally  he  and  all  his  people  made  good  their 
landing  on  the  beach  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Juan,  just  as  the  topmasts 
of  the  vessels  'from  which  they  had  descended  were  descried  from 
the  quarter-deck  of  a  British  sloop-of-war.  So  close  was  the  run 
of  this  extraordinary  man's  fortune  at  the  commencement  of  the 
last  act  in  his  public  life,  and  so  resolute  the  spirit  which  urged 
him  to  enter  upon  it,  and  to  go  through  with  it  successfully. 


24  STORY  OF   THE   BATTLE   OF   WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  HI. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Arrival  of  Napoleon  in  Paris,  and  its  immediate  Consequences. 

INTO  the  minute  details  of  Napoleon's  progress  from  Frcjus  to 
Paris  it  is  not  necessary  to  enter.  Not  one  arm  was  raised  to 
oppose  him, — not  a  shot  was  fired  either  upon  him  or  upon  his 
followers.  Wherever  he  presented  himself  the  troops,  sometimes 
headed  by  their  leaders,  sometimes  deserting  them,  gathered 
round  his  standard.  The  peasantry,  in  like  manner,  not  only 
exhibited  no  signs  of  hostility,  but  supplied  his  retinue  with 
abundance  of  provisions,  and  wished  them  God  speed.  It  was  to 
little  purpose  that  the  Princes  of  the  House  of  Bourbon  put 
themselves  at  the  head  of  corps,  and  marched  out  to  give  him 
battle.  The  soldiers  refused  to  act  against  a  chief  whose  name 
sounded  in  their  ejys  like  a  watch-word ;  and  though  they  ab- 
stained from  making  prisoners  of  their  generals,  the  latter  scarcely 
quitted  them  to  return  to  Paris  ere  they  passed  over  to  the 
enemy.  At  length  Ney's  treason,  and  the  defection  of  the  army 
of  reserve,  which,  under  the  Duke  de  Berri  and  Marshal  Oudinot, 
had  been  assembled  at  Essonnc  and  Fontainebleau,  put  an  end  to 
all  hope  ;  and  Louis  XVIII.,  after  an  uneasy  reign  of  ten  months, 
bade  adieu  to  the  courtiers  who  still  remained  faithful  to  him. 
and  fled  towards  Lille. 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  19th  of  March  that  the  King  of 
France  set  out  from  Paris.  The  same  day  Napoleon  reached 
Fontainebleau,  well  nigh  unattended ;  for  he  travelled  with  such 
rapidity  that  his  guard  could  not  keep  pace  with  him  ;  and  it 
affords  one  of  the  strongest  proofs  of  the  disposition  of  the  nation 
towards  him  that  his  equipage  met  with  no  interruption.  Here, 
at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  the  20th,  tidings  of  the  flight 
of  the  King  were  conveyed  to  him ;  nevertheless  he  delayed  his 
onward  journey  till  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  did  not  reach  the 


CHAP,  in.]  NAPOLEON'S  ARRIVAL  IN   PARIS.  25 

Tuilcries  till  nine  at  night.  Possibly  he  may  have  made  his 
entrance  into  the  capital  under  cover  of  darkness  through  some 
apprehension  of  its  effect  upon  the  populace  had  they  "witnessed 
it ;  for  he  well  knew  that  with  a  majority  of  the  Parisians  he  was 
not  a  favorite.  But  if  any  such  consideration  threw  a  shadow 
over  his  thoughts,  the  anxiety  produced  by  it  must  have  been 
dispelled  by  the  enthusiastic  reception  which  awaited  him.  The 
whole  inner  court  of  the  Carrousel,  from  the  triumphal  arch  to 
the  great  staircase,  was  filled  with  a  crowd  of  officers  and  soldiers? 
to  whom  the  fact  of  his  coining  had  been  communicated  ;  and 
these,  dragging  him  from  the  carriage,  bore  him  aloft  upon  their 
shoulders  with  shouts  of  joy,  and  amid  a  blaze  of  torch-light. 
Never  in  all  history  has  such  a  reception  been  recorded.  No 
wonder  that  it  thrilled  through  the  heart  even  of  fhe  leader  of 
the  grand  army  to  Moscow — no  wonder  that  it  caused  tears  of 
transport  to  rain  from  the  eyes  of  the  excitable  warriors  who 
played  a  part  in  it. 

Napoleon  had  regained  the  throne  of  France  without  difficulty. 
lie  has  left  the  avowal  on  record,  that  the  days  which  saw  him 
pushing  for  the  noble  prize,  and  the  night  which  testified  to  its 
acquisition,  were  the  happiest  of  his  life.  But  with  the  morning 
of  the  21st  came  time  for  reflection,  and  the  necessity  of  looking 
the  real  nature  of  his  position  in  the  face.  It  was  the  reverse  of 
satisfactory.  The  sceptre  which  he  grasped  must  be  retained 
with  the  strong  hand  against  the  whole  of  Europe,  and  the  war, 
which  he  felt  to  be  imminent,  entered  upon  with  very  inadequate 
means ;  for,  though  the  army  was  with  him,  it  had  been  reduced 
during  the  previous  year  to  somewhere  about  150,000  men  ;  and 
the  arsenals,  emptied  both  of  cannon  and  of  small  arms,  offered  no 
direct  facilities  for  recruiting  it.  Neither  were  the  political  cir- 
cumstances by  which  he  was  surrounded  much  more  encouraging. 
Almost  all  the  able  men  whom  ho  invited  in  the  first  instance  to 
take  office  under  his  government  declined  to  do  so.  Some,  feeling 
that  they  had  enacted  the  traitor's  part  often  enough,  were  ashamed 
to  be  seen  any  more  in  public  life  ;  others,  distrusting  the  stability 
of  the  new  order  of  things,  preferred  lying  by  to  watch  the  event ; 
and  when  at  length  h»-  'lid  prevail  on  Cambacru  ...  <';ui];iiiicourt, 


86  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  m. 

Maret,  and  Carnot  to  serve  him,  it  was  by  dint  of  compromises, 
the  nature  and  extent  of  which  proved  that  his  confidence  in  his 
own  fortune  was  shaken. 

The  same  disinclination  for  office  which  perplexed  Napoleon  in 
the  arrangement  of  his  government  in  Paris  operated  to  deter 
men  of  respectability  and  station  from  accepting,  under  him, 
commissions  in  the  provinces.  To  the  first  burst  of  enthusiasm 
there  appeared  to  succeed  an  almost  universal  distrust ;  and  in 
several  places,  particularly  in  Guienne,  Provence,  Languedoc, 
and  about  Bordeaux,  bands  of  Bourbon  Royalists  took  up  arms. 
Indeed,  partly  through  the  force  of  the  Allied  proclamation, 
which  was  circulated  with  great  industry  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  eastern  departments — partly  because,  when  the  crisis  came, 
the  least  contented  with  the  government  of  the  Bourbons  shrank 
from  facing  it — the  tumultuous  joy  which  seemed  to  welcome  the 
adventurer  on  his  first  appearance  in  France  died  out  almost  as 
suddenly  as  it  had  arisen.  Moreover,  the  spirit  of  faction  was 
as  busy  as  it  usually  is,  when  nations  are  either  in  a  state  of 
transition,  or  have  become  loosened  from  the  wholesome  restraints 
of  all  authority  ;  for  the  Republicans,  feeling  that  they  had  come 
once  more  into  the  ascendant,  played  the  Emperor's  game  only 
so  far  as  they  imagined  that  his  success  would  lead  to  their  own 
ultimate  triumph. 

Perhaps  the  genius  of  Napoleon  never  displayed  itself  so  con- 
spicuously as  in  his  mode  of  meeting  and  overcoming  these  diffi- 
culties. He  won  individuals  to  himself  by  the  charms  of  an 
address  which  was  irresistible  when  he  chose  to  exert  it,  and 
quieted  public  bodies  by  professing  to  place  abstract  questions  in 
abeyance  till  there  should  be  an  opportunity  of  discussing  them 
fully.  Moreover,  while  his  speeches  and  letters  breathed  nothing 
but  the  desire  of  peace,  he  turned  vigorously  to  preparations  for 
war.  Generals  whom  he  could  trust  were  marched  against  the 
insurgents  of  the  south,  with  orders  to  suppress  the  revolt  by 
every  means,  and  at  any  expense  of  pledges  as  well  as  of  blood. 
Workmen  were  hired  by  thousands,  and  employed  in  the  fabrica- 
tion of  arms.  All  discharged  and  pensioned  soldiers  were  invited 
to  return  to  their  standards,  and  the  re-enrolment  of  the  National 


CHAP.  HI.]  CHAMP   DE  MAI.  27 

Guard  enabled  him,  by  a  stroke  of  the  pen,  to  dispose  of  200  bat- 
talions, numbering  in  all  1 12,000  men,  for  the  defence  of  the  for- 
tresses. Besides  these,  the  registered  seamen  in  the  various  ports 
of  France  were  regimented,  clothed,  and  equipped,  to  the  number 
of  30,000 ;  and  wherever  horses  could  be  found  fit  for  the  service 
either  of  the  artillery  or  the  cavalry  or  the  train,  they  were  im- 
pressed without  scruple,  and  their  owners  recompensed  by  bills 
on  the  treasury. 

It  is  well  known  that  one  of  Napoleon's  first  measures  after 
iis  return  to  the  Tuileries  was  to  address  to  the  crowned  heads 
of  Europe  a  sort  of  circular,  iu  which  he  avowed  his  anxious 
desire  to  remain  at  peace,  and  endeavored  to  convince  them  that 
France,  not  his  own  will,  had  placed  him  where  he  sat.  It  is 
equally  well  known  that  he  received  no  answer  to  this  appeal,  and 
that  he  never  really  expected  to  receive  one  ;  but  the  proceeding 
was  politic,  because  it  furnished  him  with  an  argument  in  the 
appeals  which  he  made  to  French  patriotism  and  vanity.  Hence, 
at  the  celebrated  meeting  of  the  Champ  de  Mai,  he  was  able  to 
connect  his  own  fate  and  that  of  the  nation  plausibly  together  ; 
and  the  result  of  the  meeting  undoubtedly  was,  to  allay  for  the 
moment  the  strife  of  parties,  and  to  concentrate  and  attract  pub- 
lic attention  and  public  anxiety  to  the  issues  of  the  struggle  which 
all  felt  to  be  impending.  Neither  can  it  be  denied,  that  though 
there  might  be  less  enthusiasm  in  the  nation  than  stirred  it  in 
1792,  enough  was  called  up  materially  to  strengthen  his  hands, 
and  to  give  him  hope,  in  the  event  of  victory  at  the  outset,  of  ulti- 
mate triumph ;  and  so  his  efforts  were  redoubled,  not  merely  to 
organize  forces  for  present  use,  but  to  prepare  against  that  future 
on  which  he  could  not  fail  to  reckon.  When  Napoleon  arrived  in 
Paris  on  the  21st  of  March,  he  had  but  the  remains  of  the  Bour 
bon  army  to  depend  upon.  On  the  1st  of  June  he  had  arrayed, 
for  purposes  of  defence,  not  fewer  than  559,000  men  under  arms. 
He  so  distributed  his  depots  and  reserves,  moreover,  as  to  satisfy 
himself  that  by  the  first  of  October  this  force  would  be  raised  to 
800,000 ;  and  made  still  further  arrangements,  with  the  view  of 
guarding  the  empire,  ere  long,  with  not  far  short  of  two  millions 
and  a  half  of  soldiers. 


28  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  in. 

These  were  marvellous  exploits  to  be  performed  in  the  space 
of  three  short  months,  of  -which  one  was  almost  wholly  spent  in 
passing  from  Elba  to  Paris ;  and  yet  they  stood  not  alone.  In 
the,  60  days  that  preceded  the  1st  of  June,  1815,  Napoleon  sup- 
pressed a  formidable  rebellion,  organized  an  efficient  government, 
established  or  confirmed  a  representative  constitution,  and  put 
party  spirit  to  sleep.  He  replenished  an  exhausted  treasur}r, 
filled  the  arsenals  with  munitions  of  Avar,  and  gave  back  to  the 
troops  the  prestige,  of  invincibility,  which  is  with  all  people,  and 
especially  with  the  French,  the  best  guarantee  of  victory.  He  was 
the  admiration  of  Europe  at  the  moment,  though  it  both  feared 
and  hated  him ;  and  his  deeds  arc  still  spoken  of  with  the  respect 
which  they  deserve. 

The  time  which  Napoleon  thus  vigorously  improved  was  not 
wasted  by  the  Allies.  They  had  chosen  their  ground  in  the  meet- 
ing of  Congress  which  put  forth  the  declaration  of  the  13th  of 
March,  and  they  expressed,  and  indeed  experienced,  the  greatest 
desire  to  enter  upon  it.  But  a  serious  hindrance  to  this  was  pre- 
sented by  the  want  of  money.  The  Continental  Princes  had 
men  enough  under  arms  to  render  victory  certain ;  but  armed 
bodies  cannot  be  moved,  especially  to  a  distance  from  their  own 
homes,  without  a  large  expenditure  of  money ;  and  in  money  they 
were  all  miserably  poor.  It  was  felt  by  the  English  Government 
and  people  that  this  was  not  a  time  to  higgle  for  hard  bargains. 
Accordingly  after  the  war  taxes  had  been  re-imposed,  and  a  new 
loan  negotiated,  not  less  than  11,000,000/.  sterling  were  distrib- 
uted as  subsidies  among  the  continental  powers  ;  of  which  Aus- 
tria received  1,796,2202. ;  Russia,  3,241,9194. ;  Prussia,  2,382,823^. ; 
while  Hanover,  Spain,  Portugal,-  Sweden,  Italy,  the  Netherlands, 
und  the  smaller  German  States  divided  the  residue  among  them. 
Thus  furnished  with  the  sinews  of  war,  the  Allies  began,  early 
in  April,  to  put  their  columns  in  motion.  Austria  found,  indeed, 
for  a  brief  space,  occupation  nearer  home,  for  Murat  seized  the 
opportunity  to  rush  into  hostilities,  and  on  the  Austrian  troops 
devolved  the  duty  of  expelling  him  from  Italy ;  but  Russia, 
Prussia,  and  the  States  of  the  Germanic  Confederation  drew  at 
once  towards  the  French  frontier,  and  England  prepared  to  co- 


CHAP.  in.J  DISPOSITIONS  OF  THE  ALLIES.  Q 

operate  with  them.  A  few  words  will  suffice  to  explain  whence 
it  came  about  that  on  Prussia  and  England  the  brunt  of  the 
gathering  storm  might  be  expected  to  fall. 

Though  by  the  peace  of  Paris  France  seemed  to  be  effectually 
bound  against  extending  herself  beyond  the  limits  which  were 
therein  assigned  to  her,  it  was  not  unknown  to  the  allied  cabinets 
that  she  was  exceedingly  dissatisfied  with  the  arrangement ;  and 
it  was  more  than  suspected  that  both  in  Flanders  and  among  the 
people  of  the  Prussian  Rhenish  provinces  a  strong  Gallican  spirit 
^prevailed.  Under  these  circumstances,  and  as  a  measure  of  mere 
precaution,  Prussia  had  undertaken  to  occupy  for  a  while  her 
newly-acquired  possessions  with  a  corps  of  30,000  men,  while 
England  placed  in  garrison  timong  the  frontier  fortresses  of  the 
Netherlands  about  10,000  or  12,000.  Upon  these  latter,  as  a 
sort  of  nucleus,  the  King  of  the  Netherlands  proceeded  to  form 
regiments  of  his  own,  and  the  supreme  command  of  the  whole 
was  assumed  by  the  present  King  of  Holland,  then  His  Koyal 
Highness  the  Prince  of  Orange.  No  sooner  was  the  return  of 
Napoleon  made  known,  however,  than  the  representatives  of  the 
Great  Powers  renewed,  in  formal  terms,  the  treaty  of  Chaumont, 
by  which  England  and  Prussia  had  alike  agreed  to  employ  150,000 
men  in  the  common  cause ;  and  it  was  further  arranged  that 
these  forces  should  assemble  on  the  Lower  Rhine  or  in  the  Neth- 
erlands, as  being  the  points  whence,  whether  for  offensive  or  de- 
fensive purposes,  the  war  might  be  expected  to  open.  Accord- 
ingly, Prussia  put  in  motion  one  division  after  another  till  she 
had  reinforced  Kleist's  corps  to  the  extent  of  1 16,000  men  ;  while 
England  sent  over  to  Ostend  and  the  adjacent  harbors  every  man 
and  horse  which  the  home  government  could  be  persuaded  to  re- 
gard as  disposable. 

There  could  be  little  hesitation,  cither  at  Berlin  or  in  London, 
regarding  the  officers  on  whom  the  supreme  command  over  each 
of  those  armies  should  be  conferred.  The  Duke  of  Wellington, 
at  that  time  England's  representative  at  the  Congress,  was  re- 
quested to  proceed,  as  soon  as  the  state  of  business  in  Vienna 
would  permit,  to  the  Low  Countries ;  while  Field-Marshal  Prince 
lUucher  put  all  competitors  out  of  the  field  by  arraying  himself 


30  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  m. 

in  bis  war  attire,  and  claiming,  as  a  sort  of  right,  that  "which  his 
sovereign  freely  conceded  to  him.  The  Duke  set  out  on  the  29th 
of  March,  and  travelling  with  such  speed  as  to  overtake  and  pass 
his  own  messenger,  arrived  on  the  4th  of  April  in  Brussels. 
Prince  Bliicher  reached  his  own  head-quarters  about  a  fortnight 
later.  But  both  then  and  previously  the  best  understanding  pre- 
vailed among  the  chiefs  of  the  allied  armies,  which,  though  in 
communication,  were  wholly  distinct,  and  so  continued  to  the 
close  of  this  memorable  campaign. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington,  with  prophetic  eye,  appears  early  to 
have  foreseen  that  under  the  arrangements  which  ensued  upon 
the  treaty  of  Paris,  the  peace  of  Europe  could  not  long  be  pre- 
served. While  filling  the  place  of  English  Ambassador  at  Paris 
he  was  no  unobservant  spectator  of  events  as  they  passed  around 
him;  and  so  early  as  the  month  of  September,  1814,  sketched 
out  a  plan  for  the  defence  of  the  frontier  of  the  Netherlands, 
which  had  for  its  object  the  repulse  of  any  attempt  from  Franco 
to  recover  by  a  sudden  inroad  her  sovereignty  over  the  Flemish 
provinces.  It  was  very  imperfectly  acted  upon,  as  were  other 
tiints  which  he  threw  out  in  regard  to  the  wisdom  of  strength- 
ening the  alliance  with  the  Peninsula,  and  thus  having  a  corps 
of  good  Portuguese  troops  available  for  any  emergency.  As 
soon  as  the  landing  of  Napoleon  was  made  known,  he  wrote  from 
Vienna  to  Lord  Castlereagh,  urging  him  to  reinforce  the  army 
in  the  Netherlands  as  much  as  he  could,  particularly  in  cavalry 
and  artillery.  The  advice,  to  what  causes  owing  does  not  appear, 
seems  to  have  been  but  little  regarded,  and  hence  his  letter  of 
the  Gth  of  April, — the  second,  which  he  addressed  from  Brussels 
to  the  English  government, — describes  in  just  but  not  very  flat- 
tering terms  the  state  of  military  preparation  in  which  he  found 
his  command.  The  troops  of  the  Netherlands  which  were  to 
serve  under  his  orders  could  not  be  otherwise  than  inefficient. 
They  were  to  a  great  extent  raw  levies,  and  of  the  Belgian  por- 
tion o£,  them  the  spirit  was  not  supposed  to  be  good ;  of  the 
British  infantry  regiments  by  far  the  larger  proportion  were 
composed  of  second  battalions,  'the  debris  of  Lord  Lynedoch's 
corps  constituting  the  chief  portion  of  the  force.  For  it  must 


CHAP,  in.]  DISPOSITIONS   OF  THE  ALLIES.  Si 

not  be  forgotten,  that  after  the  conclusion  of  the  Peninsular  war 
England  had  still  America  upon  her  hands ;  and  that  from  the 
ports  of  France  and  of  Ireland  the  flower  of  that  army  which 
had  delivered  Spain  was  shipped  off  on  ill-arranged  and  worse 
commanded  expeditions  to  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Hence? 
when  the  emergency  arose  in  Europe,  England  was  not,  or  her 
government  assumed  that  she  was  not,  in  a  condition  to  bring  a 
fitting  array  into  the  field.  "  It  appears  to  me,"  writes  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  "  that  you  have  not  taken  a  clear  view  of  your 
situation,  that  you  do  not  think  war  certain,  and  thai  a  great  ef- 
fort must  be  made  if  it  is  hoped  that  it  shall  be  short.  You 
have  not  called  out  the  militia,  nor  announced  such  an  intention 
in  your  message  to  Parliament,  by  which  measure  your  troops  of 
the  line  in  Ireland  or  elsewhere  might  become  disposable ;  and 
how  we  are  to  make  out  150,000  men,  or  even  the  60,000  of  the 
defensive  part  of  the  treaty  of  Chaumont,  appears  not  to  have 
been  considered.  If  you  could  let  me  have  40,000  good  British 
infantry,  besides  those  you  insist  upon  having  in  garrisons,  the 
proportion  settled  by  treaty  that  you  are  to  furnish  of  cavalry, 
that  is  to  say,  the  eighth  of  150,000,  including  in  both  the  old 
German  Legion,  and  150  pieces  of  British  field-artillery  fully 
horsed,  I  shoidd  be  satisfied,  and  take  my  chance  for  the  rest, 
and  engage  that  we  would  play  our  part  in  the  game  ;  but  as  it 
is,  we  are  in  a  bad  way." 

At  the  time  when  the  Duke  was  thus  expressing  himself  to  a 
member  of  the  government  at  home,  he  was  encouraging  General 
Kleist,  the  officer  in  command  of  the  Prussian  corps  on  the  Mouse, 
to  assume  a  more  advanced  position,  so  as  to  cover  Brussels,  and 
render  its  seizure  by  a  coup-de-main  impossible.  He  describes 
himself  in  this  communication  as  being  able,  after  providing  for 
the  garrisons  of  Mons,  Tournay,  Ypres,  Ostend,  Nieuport,  and 
Antwerp,  to  bring  23,000  good  British  and  Hanoverian  troops 
into  the  field,  of  which  5000  should  be  cavalry ;  and  to  support 
them  with  20,000  Dutch  and  Belgian  soldiers,  of  which  2000 
bhould  be  horse.  He  opened  the  campaign,  nearly  two  months 
afterwards,  with  scarcely  30,000  of  these  same  good  British  and 
Hanoverian  troops ;  and  fought  and  won  the  battle  of  Waterloo 


32  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  iv. 

with  18,000  British  infantry  instead  of  40,000,  and  not  quite 
8000  horse.  So  imperfectly  were  his  suggestions  acted  upon  by 
the  home  authorities,  and  so  unvarying  continued  to  be  the  op- 
eration of  the  principle  which  throughout  the  whole  course  of  the 
war  in  the  Peninsula  had  crippled  him  for  want  of  men  and  means, 
while  every  town  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  swarmed  with 
goldicrs  eager  to  gather  laurels  under  his  guidance. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Distribution  of  the  hostile  Armies  early  in  June. 

DAYS  and  weeks  passed  on,  amid  anxious  preparations  on  both 
sides.  The  forces  of  the  allies,  though  enormous  in  the  aggregate? 
were  too  widely  dispersed  to  admit  of  prompt  and  decisive  opera- 
tions. The  Russians  had  an  arduous  march  to  perform  from 
Saxon  Poland  to  the  further  borders  of  Germany.  The  Aus- 
trians,  entangled  in  hostilities  with  Murat,  were  unable  to  accom- 
plish more  than  the  occupation  of  the  most  important  posts  be- 
tween Basle  and  Manheim.  Bavaria,  Wurtembcrg,  and  Baden 
mustered  indeed  among  them  eighty  thousand  men,  with  which 
they  took  post  upon  the  Upper  Rhine,  but  it  was  never  contem- 
plated that  they  should  advance  beyond  it  till  the  Austrians  should 
have  joined  them.  Meanwhile  these  various  movements  of  con- 
centration must  be  covered  and  protected,  and  it  devolved  upon 
the  troops  on  the  Lower  Rhine  and  in  the  Netherlands  to  do  so. 
For  the  latter  constituted,  in  fact,  the  outposts  of  a  great  army ; 
which,  having  the  quarters  of  its  several  corps  much  divided,  and 
all  of  them  remote  from  an  intended  field  of  operation,  requires 
time  to  bring  its  strength  to  bear,  and  to  render  certain  the  re- 
sults of  combinations  which  no  human  exertions  can  precipitate. 
Moreover,  as  it  is  the  duty  of  the  outposts  of  an  army,  while 
they  are  very  vigilant,  to  preserve  as  long  as  possible  a  purely 


:HAP.  IT.]      DISTRIBUTION  OP  THE   FRENCH   ARMY.  33 

defensive  attitude,  so  it  was  the  obvious  business  of  the  armies  of 
which  Wellington  and  Blucher  were  at  the  head  not  to  take,  ex- 
cept under  some  pressing  and  unlooked  for  emergency,  the  initia- 
tive in  active  hostilities.  A  forward  movement  on  their  part, 
even  if  successful,  could  hardly  render  more  sure  than  it  was  the 
ultimate  triumph  of  the  allies.  Defeat,  or  even  disaster  incurred 
in  such  circumstances,  might,  and  probably  would,  do  unspeakable 
damage  to  the  cause.  And  this  wise  policy,  dictated  by  every 
principle  of  the  art  in  which  Wellington  and  Blucher  were  not 
karners,  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  ground  occupied  by  the  enemy, 
as  well  as  by  their  own  troops,  rendered  absolutely  indispensable. 

The  amount  of  force  with  which  the  allies  proposed  to  operate 
from  different  parts  against  France  may  be  estimated  at  600,000 
men.  To  resist  these  Napoleon  had  under  arms  in  the  beginning 
of  June  559,000.,  of  which  250,000  were  at  this  time  complete  in 
all  the  equipments  of  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery.  The  re- 
mainder, made  up  of  regimental  depots,  national  guards,  marines, 
coast-guard  veterans,  and  organized  pensioners,  though  very  use- 
ful for  defensive  purposes,  could  not  easily  be  moved.  Out  of  the 
disposable  troops  of  the  line,  reinforced  by  a  portion  of  the  na- 
tional guard  elite,  were  formed  seven  corps  d'armee,  four  corps  of 
reserve  cavalry,  four  corps  of  observation,  and  an  army  of  the 
west  or  of  La  Vendee.  The  army  of  the  north — or  grand  army — 
to  be  directed  by  the  Emperor  in  person,  was  composed  of  five 
of  these  corps  d'armee  (the  1st,  2nd,  3rd,  4th,  and  6th),  the  whole 
of  the  reserve  cavalry,  and  the  Imperial'  Guard.  It  mustered 
about  120,000  men,  and  was  distributed  in  the  following  order  : — 

The  1st  corps,  commanded  by  Count  d'Erlon,  had  its  head' 
quarters  at  Lille ;  the  2nd,  of  which  Count  Reille  was  at  t he- 
head,  occupied  cantonments  in  the  environs  of  Valenciennes ; 
the  3rd,  under  Count  Vandarninc,  lay  in  and  about  Meziercs ; 
the  4th,  under  Count  Girard,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Metz ; 
the  6th,  of  which  Count  Lobau  was  put  in  charge,  had  its  head- 
quarters in  Laon.  The  whole  of  the  reserve  cavalry — namely, 
four  corps — were  cantoned,  under  Marshal  Grouchy,  between 
the  Aisne  and  the  Sambre  ;  while  the  Imperial  Guard  abode  in 
Paris. 


31  STORY  OF   THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  iv. 


The  5th  corps  d'armee,  under  the  command  of  Count 
formed  the  basis  of  what  was  intended  to  grow  into  the  army  of 
the  Rhine.  It  consisted  of  36,000  men,  and,  having  its  head- 
quarters in  Strasburg,  occupied  the  principal  posts  along  that 
portion  of  the  frontier  between  Landau  and  Hagenau  ;  it  com- 
municated by  its  left  with  the  4th  corps  about  Metz,  by  its  right 
with  the  1st  corps  of  observation.  The  1st  corps  of  observation, 
called  likewise  the  army  of  the  Jura,  was  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant-General  Lecourbe.  It  was  weak  in  point  of  numbers, 
not  exceeding  4,500  men,  though*  strenuous  efforts  were  making 
to  raise  it  to  18,000*;  and  stretching  from  Altkirch,  the  head- 
quarters, along  the  line  between  Huningen  and  Befort,  it  felt 
with  its  left  towards  the  5th  corps,  and  with  its  right  towards 
the  7th. 

This  latter,  having  the  Duke  of  Albufera  at  its  head,  formed 
the  basis  of  the  army  of  the  Alps.  It  held  the  passes  along  the 
Italian  frontier,  had  strong  posts  at  Grenoble  and  Chamber}^ 
communicated  on  its  left  with  the  1st  corps  of  observation,  and 
covered  the  approach  to  Lyons.  Intended  to  be  raised  as  soon 
as  possible  to  40,000  men,  it  consisted,  at  the  period  of  which 
we  are  now  speaking,  of  15,000  only  ;  but  as  formidable  works 
were  already  begun  on  the  heights  which  overlook  Lyons,  hopes 
were  entertained  that  in  case  of  attack,  it  would  be  competent  to 
maintain  that  place  till  a  bk>w  should  be  struck  with  effect  in 
another  quarter. 

Of  the  three  remaining  corps  of  observation,  one  (the  2nd.) 
commanded  by  Marshal  Brune,  had  its  head-quarters  at  Mar- 
seilles, and  occupying  Toulon  and  Antibes,  watched  the  frontier 
of  the  Maritime  Alps.  Another  (the  3rd),  under  Count  Decaen, 
observed  from  his  head-quarters  at  Perpignan  the  line  of  the 
Eastern  Pyrenees  ;  while  the  4th,  called  the  army  of  the  Gironde, 
or  Western  Pyrenees,  had  its  head-quarters  at  Bordeaux,  and 
was  commanded  by  Lieut.  General  Clausel.  All  these,  it  is 
\vorthy  of  remark,  were  the  mere  skeletons  of  corps,  to  reinforce 
which  time  and  great  exertions  would  be  required.  And  finally, 
(lie  army  of  La  Vendee,  of  which  General  Lamarque  was  at  the 
head,  absorbed  17,000  good  troops,  and  found  ample  occupation 


-HAP.  iv.]       COMPOSITION   OF  THE  BRITISH  ARMY.  35 

— at  least  for  awhile — in  restoring  tranquillity  to  the  disturbed 
provinces. 

Finally,  the  care  of  the  fortresses,  of  the  coasts,  and  the  maga- 
zines, was  committed  to  the  national  g\iard  and  the  miscellaneous 
levies,  to  which  the  title  of  "  Armee  Extraordinaire"  had  been 
given ;  and  a  line  of  redoubts  being  marked  out  and  begun,  so  as 
to  render  Paris  more  capable  of  resisting  an  attack  than  in  the 
previous  campaigns, '  Napoleon  may  be  pardoned  if  he  looked 
round  upon  the  results  of  two  months'  exertions  with  complacency, 
not  unmixed  with  confidence. 

Though  the  minute  details  of  these  several  arrangements  might 
not  be  made  manifest  to  the  allies,  enough  was  seen  or  known  to 
satisfy  them  that  in  the  north  the  cloud  would  probably  burst. 
There  was  every  reason  to  believe,  likewise,  that  having  gained 
sufficient  time  to  organize  a  fine  army,  and  to  bring  it  to  a  head, 
Napoleon  would  seize  the  first  convenient  opportunity  of  com- 
mencing hostilities.  For  whatever  further  preparations  might 
on  his  side  be  in  progress,  it  was  certain  that  they  could  not  be 
matured  so  as  to  anticipate  the  arrival  of  the  allied  columns  on 
the  French  frontier,  and  against  the  weight  of  numbers — operat- 
ing on  different  points,  but  all  bearing  towards  a  centre — he  could 
not  hope  to  make  head.  His  policy,  therefore,  was  to  take  tho 
initiative ;  and  by  a  sudden  attack  upon  the  English  and  Prus- 
sian armies  to  force  his  way  to  Brussels.  This  was  clear  enough ; 
nevertheless,  as  more  than  one  avenue  of  approach  lay  open  to  him, 
and  that  the  nature  of  his  position  behind  the  strong  fortresses 
which  cover  the  north  of  France  left  him  at  liberty  to  select 
which  he  might  prefer,  it  was  equally  clear  that  by  the  Prussians 
or  English  decisive  steps  could  not  be  taken  till  surmise  should 
have  been  changed  into  certainty,  and  the  exact  time  not  less 
than  the  manner  of  his  offensive  operations  should  have  been 
fully  discovered.  A  few  words  will  explain  as  well  the  positions 
of  the  allied  armies  as  the  important  objects  for  which  their  com- 
manders found  it  necessary  to  provide. 

In  the  second  week  of  June  the  Duke  of  Wellington  had  under 
his  orders  a  numerical  force  of  105,950  men,  with  19G  guns;  of 
these,  82,002  were  infantry,  14,482  cavalry,  8, 1  GO  artiMery,  and 


36  STORY   OF  THE  BATTLE   OF   WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  IT. 

the  remainder  engineers,  sappers,  miners,  waggon-train,  and  stafl' 
corps.  This  army,  strong  upon  paper,  and  formidable  enough 
when  looked  at  from  a  distance,  was,  owing  to  its  composition  and 
the  inexperience  of  the  major  portion  of  the  troops,  scarcely,  in 
all  parts  at  least,  to  be  depended  upon.  Of  the  infantry  23.543 
were  British,  and  3,301  soldiers  of  the  Old  German  Legion- 
There  could  be  no  doubt  in  regard  to  them  ;  for  though  most  of 
the  English  regiments  were  second  battalions,  of  which  perhaps 
two-thirds  had  never  served  a  campaign,  tire  remainder  were 
veterans  trained  in  the  school  of  the  Peninsula — and  their  spirit 
was  largely  infused  into  the  ranks  of  their  younger  comrades. 
And  the  German  legionaries  had  always  been  among  the  elite  of 
the  Peninsular  army.  But  the  rest,  made  up  of  Hanoverian 
rnilitia,  of  Brunswickers,  men  of  Nassau,  and  Dutch  Belgians,  as 
they  were  all  without  experience,  imperfectly  drilled,  and  strangers 
to  the  English  and  to  one  another,  their  pliability  as  well  as  their 
power  of  endurance  had  yet  to  be  tested  ;  and  the  hopes  of  their 
commander  in  regard  to  them  could  not  be  very  high.  For  they 
were  not,  like  the  Portuguese,  willing  to  be  taught,  and  ready  to 
postpone  considerations  of  national  vanity  to  the  common  good. 
On  the  contrary,  each  nation  claimed — and  not  perhaps  unnatu- 
rally— the  right  of  serving  under  its  own  generals  and  its  own 
staff;  and  all  showed  such  a  disinclination  to  be  closely  mixed 
up  with  the  British,  that  the  plan,  though  suggested  on  the 
Duke's  first  arrival  in  Brussels,  was  neither  pressed  nor  acted 
upon.  The  consequence  was  that  the  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  mere  numbers  were  seriously  lessened,  through  the  impossi- 
bility of  organizing  the  raw  levies  by  distributing  them  in  bri- 
gades, divisions,  and  even  in  corps  d'armee,  with  troops  better 
disciplined  than  themselves.  And  when  it  is  further  considered 
that  the  tactics  of  each  nation  differed  materially  from  those  of  all 
the  rest,  the  difficulty  of  making  anything  out  of  so  heterogene- 
ous a  mass  cannot  well  be  overrated.  In  a  word,  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  was  assumed  to  be  at  the  head  of  very  nearly  one 
hundred  and  six  thousand  men ;  tut  besides  that  out  of  these 
there  were  garrisons  to  be  supplied  to  the  fortresses,  the  compo- 
sition an3  temper  of  the  remainder  were  such  as  in  a  very  great 


CHAP,  iv.]  POSITION  OF   THE  ALLIES.  37 

degree  to  destroy  the  unity  of  the  whole.  Hence  he  deserved  to 
be  regarded  rather  as  the  chosen  head  of  a  collection  of  allied 
armies,  than  as  the  General-in-chief  of  one  great  army ;  for  that 
army  alone  deserves  to  be  considered  one,  which  is  ready  and 
willing  to  take,  in  regard  to  regiments,  brigades,  divisions,  and 
their  commanders,  whatever  order  of  battle  the  officer  at  the  head 
of  it  may  judge  expedient  to  lay  down. 

With  an  army  thus  composed,  the  Duke  of  Wellington  had 
not  only  to  prepare  for  the  general  operations  of  the  war,  but  to 
cover  Brussels  and  all  the  approaches  to  it,  and  to  keep  open  at 
the  same  time  £is  own  communications  with  England,  Holland, 
and  Germany.  The  latter  object  could  be  sufficiently  accom- 
plished by  connecting  himself  on  the  left  with  the  right  of  the 
Prussian  army.  The  two  former  were  to  be  attained  only  by 
such  a  distribution  of  divisions  and  brigades  as  should  leave  no 
important  point  unoccupied  between  Charleroi  on  the  Sambrc, 
the  extreme  right  of  the  Prussian  line,  and  Ostend  on  the  sea- 
coast  ;  for  there  were  various  roads,  all  of  them  broad,  paved,  and 
open,  which  led  in  those  days  from  the  northern  departments  of 
France  into  the  Belgian  provinces  ;  and  by  any  or  all  of  these  it 
was  in  the  power  of  Napoleon,  when  his  preparations  should  be 
completed,  to  advance  at  any  moment  from  behind  the  strong 
fortresses  which  screened  him.  The  most  important  of  the  roads 
in  question  were — one  from  Lisle,  upon  Mcnin,  Courtray,  and 
Ghent ;  one  from  Lisle,  upon  Tournay  and  Ghent,  or  upon  Tour- 
nay,  Ath,  and  Brussels ;  one  from  Conde,  upon  Atb,  Enghien, 
and  Brussels  ;  and  one  from  Valenciennes,  either  through  Conde 
or  not,  as  the  invader  might  prefer,  upon  Mons  and  Brussels. 
They  all  passed  through  a  country  level,  and  destitute  of  natural 
defences,  and  could  communicate  by  a  multitude  of  cross-roads, 
the  whole  of  which  were  passable  in  winter  to  infantry,  and  iu 
summer  to  artillery  and  cavalry  likewise. 

It  was  necessary  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  should  occupy 
Jiis  defensive  position  in  such  a  manner  as  might  enable  him, 
after  providing  for  the  security  of  his  military  communications 
with  England,  Holland,  and  Germany,  to  assemble,  when  the 
proper  time  came.  t!u>  largest  disposable  force  that  could  bo 


38  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP,  iv 

brought  together.  It  was  equally  necessary  that,  in  effecting 
this  concentration,  he  should  not  expose  to  risk  any  of  the 
objects  which,  under  the  treaty  of  peace  and  by  the  acts  of  the 
Congress  of  Vienna,  had  been  intrusted  to  his  care.  His  first 
proceeding,  therefore,  after  arriving  at  Brussels  in  the  beginning 
of  April,  was  to  give  orders  for  the  strengthening  of  the  posts 
on  the  frontiers,  by  the  construction  of  new  works  at  Ostend, 
Nieuport,  Ypres,  Menin,  Courtray,  Oudenardc,  Tournay,  Ath, 
Mons,  Charier oi,  and  Namur.  It  is  true  that  there  were  al- 
ready field-works  on  the  sites  of  most  of  the  ruined  fortifications, 
by  which  these  towns  used  in  former  times  to  be  covered,  and  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  at  the  Duke's  suggestion,  had  already  begun 
to  clear  out  the  old  ditches,  and  to  make  arrangements  for  inun- 
dating the  country,  should  the  necessity  for  so  stern  a  measure 
arise.  But  the  field-works  were  still  incomplete,  and  the  ditches 
to  a  great  extent  filled  up ;  and  though  the  means  of  inundation 
were  in  a  state  of  considerable  forwardness,  still  the  mischief  done 
by  covering  the  whole  face  of  a  country  with  water  is  too  serious 
to  be  lightly  resorted  to.  The  Duke,  therefore,  directed  that  not 
only  the  troops,  but  as  many  of  the  peasantry  as  could  be  spared 
from  the  labors  of  the  field,  should  be  employed  upon  the  con- 
struction of  these  works ;  and  large  numbers  coming  in,  the  oper- 
ation proceeded  apace. 

This  done,  he  proceeded  to  organize  and  distribute,  as  advan- 
tageously as  circumstances  would  allow,  the  troops  under  his  imme- 
diate command.  The  infantry  was  divided  into  two  corps  d'armec 
and  a  reserve.  The  first  corps  consisted  of  four  divisions,  the 
first  and  third  British,  and  the  second  and  fourth  Dutch-Bel- 
gian. Major-General  Cooke  commanded  the  first  British  division; 
Lieutenant-General  Sir  Charles  Alten  the  second  ;  the  second 
Dutch-Belgian  division  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant-General 
de  Perponcher  ;  the  third  by  Lieutenant-General  Baron  Chasse  ; 
and  his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Orange  was  at  the  head  of 
the  whole.  The  distribution  of  this  corps  was  as  follows  : — 

De  Perponcher's  division,  forming  the  extreme  left,  had  its 
head-quarters  at  Nivclles,  on  the  high  road  from  Brussels  to 
Binche,  and  communicated  with  the  right  of  the  Prussian  army 


CHAP,  iv.]  POSITION  OF  THE  ALLIES.  39 

through  Hautain-le-Val,  Genappe,  Quatre  Bras,  and  Frasne. 
On  the  right,  but  more  iu  advance 'towards  Mons,  lay  Chass6's 
division,  occupying  principally  Roeulx  and  the  villages  between 
Roeulx  and  Binche.  Next  came  Alton's,  with  its  head-quarters 
at  Soignies,  and  its  strength  disseminated  in  the  villages  between 
Mons,  Roeulx,  Braine-le-Comte,  and  Enghien ;  and  further  to 
the  right  still,  with  its  head-quarters  at  Enghien,  lay  Cooke's 
division. 

The  second  corps,  of  which  Lord  Hill  was  in  command,  com- 
prised iu  like  manner  two  British  and  two  Dutch-Belgian  divisions. 
The  second  British,  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Henry  Clinton's 
division,  communicated  by  its  left  with  that  of  Alten  ;  its  head- 
quarters were  at  Ath  on  the  Dender,  observing  the  high  road 
from  Conde  to  Brussels,  and  one  brigade  stationed  in  Sens,  kept 
open  the  communication  between  Ath  and  the  fortress  of  Mons. 
The  fourth  division,  under  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Charles  Col- 
ville,  still  further  to  the  right,  was  divided  between  Renaix  and 
Oudenarde,  and  detached  a  brigade  (the  sixth  Hanoverian)  to 
garrison  Nieuport  on  the  coast.  Finally,  the  first  Dutch-Belgian 
division,  with  the  Colonial  division — or,  as  it  was  then  called,  the 
Indian  brigade — occupied  cantonments  along  the  line  of  the 
high-road  from  Grammont  to  Ghent,  or  was  scattered  amid  the 
villages  a  little  more  retired  between  this  great  road  and  Alost. 
Lieutenant-General  Stedman  was  at  the  head  of  the  former  of 
these  divisions,  Lieutenant-General  Baron  Anthing  commanded 
the  latter. 

Besides  these  corps,  there  was  a  reserve  of  infantry  consisting  of 
the  fifth  British  division,  under  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Thomas 
Picton;  the  sixth,  under  Licutenant-Gcneral  Sir  Lowry  Cole;  the 
Duke  of  Brunswick's  contingent ;  the  Hanoverian  corps,  under 
Lieutenant-General  Van  der  Decken  ;  and  the  Nassau  regiment, 
containing  three  battalions,  which  worked  together  in  brigade, 
under  the  command  of  General  Van  Kruse.  Of  these,  the  fifth 
and  sixth  divisions,  with  the  Brunswickers,  were  quartered  for 
the  most  part  in  and  around  Brussels  ;  Van  Kruse's  Nassau  bri- 
gade lay  between  Brussels  and  Louvain  ;  while  the  remainder, 
including  one  British  brigade,  the  thirteenth  veteran  and  second 


40  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.       [CHAP.  iv. 

garrison  battalions,  were  distributed  in  garrisons  among  Antwerp, 
Ostend,  Nieuport,  Ypres,  Tournay,  and  Mons. 

Meanwhile  the  cavalry,  divided  into  fourteen  brigades,  of  which 
seven  were  composed  of  British  and  horsemen  of  the  old  German 
Legion,  extended  all  the  way  from  Ninhove  on  the  right,  to  the 
vicinity  of  Binche  on  the  left.  The  English  and  Germans  occu- 
pied Ninhove  itself,  Grammont,  and  all  the  villages  on  the  Dender. 
The  Dutch-Belgians  lay  above  Eooulx,  and  between  Koeulx  and 
Mons,  and  on  the  south  of  Mons,  in  the  direction  of  Maubeuge 
and  Beaumont,  and  towards  Binche.  The  Brunswick  cavalry 
was  dispersed  chiefly  in  the  vicinity  of  Brussels  ;  and  the  whole 
were  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant-General  the  Earl  of  Ux- 
bridge,  now  Field-Marshal  the  Marquis  of  Anglesey. 

While  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  mixed  force  thus  covered  most 
of  the  great  approaches  to  Brussels,  without  losing  its  hold  upon 
Holland  and  England,  the  Prussian  army,  composed  of  the  people 
of  one  nation,  well  appointed,  well  drilled,  and  accustomed  to  a 
system  of  its  own,  took  up  the  line  on  the  left,  and  kept  open  the 
door  between  Belgium  and  Germany.  It  numbered  in  all  about 
117,000  men,  of  whom  nearly  12,000  were  cavalry,  with  312 
guns ;  and  being  divided  into  four  corps,  of  which  the  head- 
quarters were  respectively  at  Charleroi,  Namur,  Ciney,  and  Liege, 
was  under  the  control  and  guidance  of  Field-Marshal  Prince 
Blucher.  Its  object,  in  reference  to  the  enemy,  was  to  guard  the 
high-road  which  leads  by  the  valley  of  the  Sambre  to  Charleroi, 
and  to  watch  the  course  of  the  Meuse,  as  far  as  it  seemed  prob- 
able that  a  force  operating  from  the  north  of  France  upon  Brus- 
sels would  operate  by  that  line.  With  this  view  it  touched  the 
left  of  the  British  alignment,  with  a  brigade  posted  in  the  vicinity 
of  Fontaine  1'Eveque,  and  had  posts  as  far  in  advance  of  tho 
Sambre  as  Lobbes,  Thuin,  Gerpannes,  Fosses,  and  Soissoie.  In 
observation  of  the  Meuse,  in  like  manner,  it  occupied  in  strength 
Profondeville,  Bouvignes,  Dinant,  Rochcfort,  and  Marche,  while 
3Iarshal  Prince  Bliicher's  head-quarters  were  at  Namur. 

From  this  brief  description  it  will  be  seen  that  the  position  of 
the  Prussian  army  was  considerably  more  compact  than  that  of 
the  allies.  Its  commander  had  less  to  do,  fewer  objects  to  divide 

I 


CHAP.  v.J          BRUSSELS   IN  THE   SPRING  OP   1815.  41 

his  care ;  and  was  therefore  enabled  to  post  his  men,  rather  with 
a  view  to  their  speedy  concentration,  than  to  provide  against  at- 
tack on  various  assailable  points.  Twelve  hours,  it  was  calculated, 
would  suffice  to  assemble  each  of  the  four  Prussian  corps  at  its 
own  head-quarters  ;  and  four-and-twenty.  well  used,  would  bring 
them  together  anywhere  along  the  extent  of  their  line.  The 
Duke  of  Wellington  could  not  possibly  accomplish  this.  Never- 
theless, so  wisely  had  he  disposed  his  corps,  keeping  a  strong  re- 
serve in  hand,  that  not  one  point  in  all  his  line  was  opened  to  be 
forced  ere  he  should  be  able  to  support  it  with  numbers  capable 
of  holding  their  ground  till  the  rest  of  the  army  should  have  time 
to  form  and  co-operate  with  them.  And  that  he  did  thus  wield 
his  masses,  through  lines  of  communication  so  direct,  that  in  six 
hours  from  the  issuing  of  his  orders  t]ie  whole  were  in  motion — 
events  of  which  it  is  the  business  of  the  present  narrative  to  give 
some  account  fully  prove. 


CHAPTER    V. 

State  of  Brussels  and  the  Netherlands  in  the  early  Summer  of  1815. 

ONE  very  natural  result  of  the  peace  of  1814  was  to  excite  in 
the  breasts  of  our  countrymen  and  countrywomen  an  ardent  desirt 
to  travel.  Shut  up,  with  a  brief  interval,  more  than  a  quartet 
of  a  century  within  the  limits  of  the  British  isles,  their  curiosity 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  manners  of  continental  nations 
had  grown  into  a  craving,  and  they  hastened  to  indulge  it,  as 
soon  as  the  ports  of  France  were  open  to  them,  by  flocking  to  the 
farther  shores  of  the  Channel.  Paris  was  of  course  the  great 
point  of  attraction  ;  and  it  soon  became  crowded  with  very  mis- 
cellaneous company.  A  few,  and  but  a  few,  wandered  further — 
into  Germany  and  Italy;  and  some,  especially  those  who  had 
relatives  attached  to  the  army,  passed  into  Flanders. 


42  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.         [CHAP.  v. 

No  sooner  was  the  landing  of  Napoleon  made  public,  than 
France,  Italy,  and  Germany  gave  back  their  visitors.  From 
Paris,  especially,  people  fled  as  from  an  infected  city ;  and  happy 
was  he  who  found  himself  first  on  the  deck  of  the  packet-boat 
which  was  to  carry  him  from  Calais  to  Dover.  Even  Belgium 
itself  seemed  for  awhile  to  be  left  to  the  enjoyment  of  its  native 
population,  and  the  care  of  the  troops  that  were  appointed  to 
guard  it. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  wondered  at  in  this.  '  Men  remem- 
bered hew  it  had  fared  with  the  travellers  of  1802,  whom  Napo- 
leon, contrary  to  the  faith  of  nations,  detained  twelve  long  years 
in  captivity ;  and,  believing  that  he  might  possess  the  power,  as 
no  one  doubted  that  he  had  the  will,  to  play  the  same  barbarous 
game  over  again,  they  judged  it  expedient  to  escape  while  the 
roads  were  open,  and  fled  accordingly.  In  process  of  time,  how- 
ever, the  exaggeration  of  alarm  which  emptied  Paris  and  filled 
London  began  to  subside.  The  conviction  gradually  gained 
ground  that  hostilities  would  not  be  renewed  under  exactly  the 
same  circumstances  which  marked  the  commencement  of  war  in 
1803.  It  was  seen  that,  though  he  might  command  France, 
Napoleon's  influence  extended  little  farther  ;  and  that  the  chances 
were  at  least  as  much  against  him  now  as  they  had  been  in  his 
favor  on  a  former  occasion.  Accordingly  many,  whose  tastes  for 
foreign  travel  were  as  yet  imperfectly  gratified,  took  courage  to 
go  abroad  again.  But  as  the  voice  of  prudence  continued  to  make 
itself  heard,  they  cast  about  for  the  means  of  combining  safety 
with  amusement ;  and  resolved,  while  breathing  a  continental 
atmosphere,  not  to  lose  their  hold,  so  to  speak,  upon  England. 
Hence  Belgium  became  the  great  resort  of  these  seekers  after 
pleasure.  They  landed  at  Ostend ;  passed  thence  to  Malines, 
Ghent,  Antwerp,  and  Brussels ;  and  took  up  their  temporary 
residence  in  one  or  other  of  these  cities,  according  as  each  pre- 
sented to  them  points  of  attraction  more  enticing  than  the  rest. 

During  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  1815  Brussels  was 
thronged  with  visitors.  As  fresh  troops  arrived,  and  they  came 
in  as  fast  as  th  e  Governments  which  combined  to  form  an  army 
for  the  Duke  cf  Wellington  could  equip  them,  fresh  families,  some 


CHAP,  v.l  EELGIUM  IN  THE  SPRING  OF  1815.  43 

of  them  wealthy  and  of  good  repute,  arrived  in  their  train. 
Many  officers  brought  their  wives,  and  some  their  very  children, 
along  with  them ;  under  the  impression  that  war,  though  inevita- 
ble, was  distant ;  and  that  it  would  be  aggressive  on  their  parts, 
not  defensive.  The  same  belief  seemed  to  actuate  noblemen  and 
gentlemen  who  had  no  official  connection  with  the  army.  The 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Richmond,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  g  of 
Buccleugh,  Lady  Caroline  Lamb,  and  many  other  persons  of  dis- 
tinction, hired  houses  or  apartments  according  as  one  or  the  other 
might  be  had ;  and,  throwing  open  their  saloons,  rendered  the 
second  capital  of  the  Netherlands  a  scene  of  continual  hospitality 
and  pleasant  bustle.  Meanwhile  Louis  XVIII.  had  established 
his  court  at  Ghent.  Though  far  from  crowded,  it  was  in  the 
highest  degree  respectable,  as  well  for  the  rank  as  for  the  talents 
of  its  members ;  and  being  reserved  and  very  formal,  it  agreed 
admirably  with  the  character  of  a  city  which,  in  all  its  architectu- 
ral arrangements,  if  not  in  the  order  of  its  society,  may  be  con- 
sidered as  belonging  rather  to  the  middle  ages  than  to  our  own 
times. 

Thus  the  din  and  bustle  of  military  preparations  were  strangely 
intermingled  with  the  pomp  of  fallen  royalty  and  the  gayeties  of 
fashionable  life ;  for  the  intercourse  between  Ghent  and  Brussels 
was  constant,  and  the  condition  of  society  in  one  of  these  cities 
made  itself  felt  in  the  other,  while  both  exercised  a  marked  in- 
fluence over  the  manners  of  the  camp. 

While  the  larger  towns  were  thus  enlivened  by  the  presence 
of  princes,  courtiers,  officers  of  rank,  and  their  families,  there  was 
not  a  village  or  hamlet  between  Binche  and  tho  sea-coast,  but 
swarmed  with  armed  men.  Every  chateau,  farm-house,  and  labor- 
er's cottage,  afforded  accommodation  to  a  greater  or  smaller  num- 
ber of  soldiers — whose  horses,  if  they  happened  to  belong  to  the 
cavalry  or  artillery,  filled  the  stables  and  choked  up  the  cow-sheds. 
On  what  terms  the  Belgians  lived  with  the  soldiers  of  their  own 
nation,  and  with  the  levies  which  came  from  Hanover,  Brunswick, 
and  Nassau,  no  very  accurate  record  has  been  preserved ;  but  be- 
tween them  and  the  British  troops  the  best  understanding  pro- 
vailed.  Portions,  indeed,  of  the  Duke's  army  seem  to  have  made 


44  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.       [CHAP.  v. 

themselves  perfectly  at  home  among  the  Flemings.  It  is  recorded 
of  the  Highland  Regiments  in  par*  Ocular,  that  so  completely  had 
they  become  domesticated  with  the  people  on  whom  they  were 
billeted,  that  it  was  no  unusual  thing  to  find  a  kilted  warrior 
rocking  the  cradle  while  the  mother  of  the  little  Fleming,  which 
slept  under  its  mountain  of  feathers,  was  abroad  on  her  household 
affairs.  Indeed  the  feelings  of  the  great  body  of  the  Belgians 
were  at  this  time  decidedly  against  the  French.  The  remem- 
brance was  too  recent  of  the  sufferings  which  they  had  endured, 
the  ruin  of  their  trade,  and  the  unsparing  exercise  of  the  law  of 
conscription  over  their  families,  not  to  excite,  in  a  commercial 
and  naturally  unwarlike  people,  abhorrence  of  their  old  masters  ; 
and  though  there  can  no  longer  be  a  doubt  that  their  unceremo- 
nious junction  to  Holland  displeased  them — even  that  connection 
appeared  in  their  eyes  less  odious  than  a  reunion  with  France. 
Hence  no  sooner  was  the  fact  of  Napoleon's  return  made  known, 
than  they  manifested  their  hostility  to  him  and  to  his  system  in 
every  way  which  was  consistent  with  their  personal  security.  Com- 
paratively few  took  up  arms.  They  had  little  taste  for  military 
show — none  for  the  business  of  war ;  but  they  covered  the  usurper 
and  his  myrmydons  with  execrations,  and  shouted  all  manner  of 
cries  in  their  streets  to  the  glory  of  the  English,  their  protectors. 
The  consequence  was,  that  as  regiment  after  regiment  arrived 
from  England,  the  inhabitants  of  the  rich  country  through  which 
they  passed  ministered  liberally  to  their  wants,  while  the  owners 
of  the  houses  among  whom  they  were  scattered  received  them 
freely,  and  gave  them  the  treatment  of  brothers. 

Brussels,  from  the  beginning  of  April  to  the  middle  of  June, 
was  the  scene  of  great  and  untiring  festivity.  Dinners,  soirees, 
balls,  theatrical  amusements,  concerts — in  which  Catalani,  then 
in  her  prime,  played  a  prominent  part — caused  the  streets  of 
that  beautiful  and  picturesque  city  to  echo  with  sounds  of  glad- 
ness ;  while  the  fields  and  meadows  around  were  alive  all  day  long 
with  military  parades  and  reviews.  There  was  not  a  grove  or 
wood  within  six  miles  of  the  place  but  afforded  shelter,  as  the 
summer  advanced,  to  frequent  encampments.  The  troops  lay,  for 
the  most  part,  in  quarters,  or  were  distributed  through  the  villages 


CHAP,  v.]       CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  ALLIED  FORCE.  45 

as  they  arrived ;  but  the  artillery,  with  the  wagons  and  tumbrils 
belonging  to  it,  was  parked — and  pickets  slept,  and  sentries  kept 
guard  beside  them.  Moreover,  the  whole  line  of  road  from  the 
sea-coast  to  the  capital  was  kept  in  a  state  of  constant  bustle. 
Travellers  hurrying  to  the  focus  of  gayety  passed,  at  every  stage, 
corps  of  infantry  or  cavalry,  or  guns  on  the  march — and  were 
enchanted  as  darkness  set  in,  with  the  spectacle,  to  them  as  new 
as  it  was  striking,  of  bivouacs  by  the  wayside  such  as  Teniers 
delighted  to  represent.  Nor  were  they  more  delighted  than  as- 
tonished to  find  that  among  the  gayest  of  the  gay  in  all  the 
festive  scenes  to  which  they  were  introduced,  the  Duke  and  the 
principal  officers  of  his  army  took  the  lead.  They  did  not  know 
— what  to  his  followers  in  the  Peninsula  was  a  matter,  already 
well  understood — that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  never  felt  more 
thoroughly  unembarrassed  than  when  cares  under  which  other 
men  would  have  sunk  demanded  his  attention ;  and  that  the 
mind  which  was  found  able  to  arrange  plans  for  the  preservation 
of  Europe,  could,  while  it  worked,  enter  with  perfect  freedom  and 
even  zest,  into  every  scheme  of  fun  or  enjoyment  which  might 
be  proposed  to  it.  Yet  so  it  was.  He  who,  at  his  own  table,  or 
as  the  guest  of  one  or  other  of  the  leading  fashionables  of  Brus- 
sels, was  ever  the  keenest  promoter  of  that  polished  mirth  which 
more  than  all  others  he  seemed  heartily  to  enjoy,  suffered  no 
point,  however  minute,  to  escape  his  notice,  to  which  it  behooved 
the  commander  of  a  great  army  to  pay  attention,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  he  conducted  and  brought  to  a  favorable  conclusion 
political  and  financial  negotiations,  which,  but  for  the  skill  and 
firmness  displayed  in  his  management,  might  have  ended  dis- 
astrously. 

The  Duke  was  not  over  and  above  well  pleased  with  the  consti- 
tution of  the  force  of  which  he  was  at  the  head.  He  had  little 
reason  to  be  so :  for,  independently  of  the  mixture  of  nations 
which  composed  it,  there  was  a  melancholy  deficiency  of  almost 
all  that  renders  an  army  effec'.ive — such  as  guns,  horses,  drivers, 
and  even  of  intelligence  in  the  general  staff.  In  regard  to  can- 
non, his  Grace,  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Uathurst,  bearing  date  2fst  of 
April,  1815,  says — "I  have  received  alcttcr  from  Lord  Mulgravc, 


46  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  v. 

of  the  15th,  from  which  I  see,  that,  after  doing  all  he  can  for  us, 
we  shall  have  only  84  pieces  of  artillery  equipped  (now  only  72), 
instead  of  150,  for  which  I  asked,  including  German  artillery  to 
the  amount  of  30  pieces,  leaving  42  as  the  number  which  the 
British  artillery  can  supply."  His  complaint  in  reference  to 
horses  is,  that  though  authorized  to  purchase  them  in  the  country, 
he  had  stayed  the  proceeding,  because  he  had  no  drivers  to  take 
charge  of  them.  "  I  conclude,"  he  continues,  "  that  in  conse- 
quence of  the  reduction,  they  can .  no  more  furnish  drivers  than 
they  can  horses  ;  and  that  being  the  case,  I  beg  leave  to  point  out 
to  your  Lordship,  that  as  the  drivers  of  the  country  cannot  be 
depended  upon,  and  as,  at  all  events,  I  have  not  time  to  form 
them,  1  have  no  other  means  of  providing  for  this  absolutely 
necessary  service,  than  to  take  soldiers  from  the  British  infantry 
to  perform  it,  and  that  very  badly.  If  you  will  look  at  our  re- 
turns you  will  see  how  little  able  we  are  to  afford  a  soldier  to  tako 
care  of  each  pair  of  horses  we  require."  Of  the  staff,  it  is  not 
worth  while  to  say  more,  than  that,  with  some  noble  exceptions — . 
particularly  among  the  generals  commanding  corps,  divisions,  and 
brigades — it  was  by  far  too  numerous,  without  being  remarkable 
for  its  efficiency.  His  Grace  naturally  desired  to  have  about  him 
men  whom  the  war  in  the  Peninsula  had  educated,  and  whom  he 
knew  ;  but  there  was  an  influence  at  home,  which  in  great  meas- 
ure thwarted  him.  He  remonstrated,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  and  at 
last,  on  the  29th  of  April,  wrote  to  Sir  Henry  Torrens,  then 
military  secretary,  thus  : — "  I  had  desired  Lord  Fitzroy  to  write 
to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Grant,  of  the  llth  Regiment,  to  beg  him 
to  come  out,  with  the  intention  of  employing  him  at  the  head  of 
the  Intelligence  department ;  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Scovell  at 
the  head  of  the  department  of  Military  Communications.  It  is 
quite  impossible  for  me  to  superintend  the  details  of  the  duties  of 
these  departments  myself,  having  already  more  to  arrange  than  I 
am  equal  to  ;  and  I  cannot  intrust  them  to  the  young  gentlemen 
on  the  staff  of  this  army.  Indeed,  I  must  say,  I  do  not  know 
how  to  employ  them."  Nevertheless,  that  self-confidence — which, 
when  it  docs  not  degenerate  into  self-sufficiency,  is  perhaps  one 
of  the  surest  tokens  of  a  great  military  genius — never  forsook 


CHAP,  vi.]  PREPARATIONS   FOR  WAR.  47 

him.  While  his  private  and  confidential  letters  were  describing 
his  troops  as  "  not  -what  they  ought  to  be  to  enable  us  to  main- 
tain our  military  character  iu  Europe,"  and  his  dciui  official  dis- 
patches were  pressing  for  succors  of  every  kind,  the  tone  of  his 
communications  with  Prince  Bliichcr  and  with  the  allies  in  gene- 
ral was  full  of  hope.  Indeed  it  would  appear,  from  a  dispatch  to 
the  Earl  of  Claucarty — on  whom,  upon  his  departure,  the  duty 
of  representing  England  in  the  Congress  had  devolved — that  so 
early  as  the  10th  of  April  he  was  meditating  a  speedy  commence- 
ment of  operations,  and  that  he  looked  to  the  first  of  May  as  a 
convenient  season  for  marching  270,000  men  across  the  frontier. 
He  had  then  heard  of  Napoleon's  proposed  assembly  of  the  Champ 
de  Mai.  He  was  desirous  of  anticipating  its  probable  effect  upon 
the  minds  of  the  French  people  ;  and  knowing  that  there  was  civil 
war  in  La  Vendee,  he  felt  that  there  would  be  little  wisdom  in 
looking  on  till  it  should  be  suppressed.  And  though  subsequent 
and  better  intelligence  induced  him,  it  is  true,  to  abandon  this 
project,  the  fact  still  remains  upon  record,  that  so  far  from  adhering 
to  a  defensive  policy  through  choice,  he  was  forced  into  it,  con- 
trary to  his  wishes,  by  the  weight  "of  circumstances.  But  the 
season  was  approaching  which  was  destined  to  put  an  end  to  all 
doubt  as  to  when,  how,  and  where  hostilities  should  begin. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Continued  Preparations  on  both  sides. 

ON  the  17th  of  April,  Field-Marshal  Prince  BlQchcr  assumed 
the  command  of  tho  Prussian  army.  He  lost  no  time  in  announ- 
cing his  arrival  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  who  replied  to  his 
communication  with  characteristic  frankness  ;  and  it  was  by-and- 
by  arranged  that  the  two  Marshals  should  mutually  visit  one 
another,  and  look  at  the  troops  of  which  they  were  respectively  at 


48  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.      [CHAP,  vr. 

the  head.  Several  reviews  were  the  consequence,  particularly  a 
grand  gathering  of  British  and  Hanoverian  cavalry  near  Ninhove, 
as  a  sort  of  pendant  to  a  previous  exhibition  of  Prussian  horse 
and  foot  at  Hannut ;  and  a  general  plan  for  mutual  support  in 
the  hour  of  need  was  arranged.  Yet  all  the  subjects  discussed 
between  these  illustrious  friends  were  not  agreeable.  A  corps  of 
Saxons,  14,000  strong,  which  was  intended  to  reinforce  the  army 
of  the  Netherlands,  Bliicher,  through  some  misapprehension  of 
his  instructions,  detained  on  its  march :  he  conceived  that  they 
had  been  sent  to  swell  his  own  numbers;  and  either  because  he 
entertained  some  distrust  of  their  fidelity,  or  that  the  exigencies 
of  the  service  required  it,  he  gave  orders  that  they  should  be  dis- 
tributed among  the  different  divisions  of  his  army.  The  Saxons 
refused  to  be  separated,  and  applied,  first  through  their  command- 
ing officer,  and  afterwards  through  their  King,  to  be  received  into 
the  army  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  But  though  his  Grace 
would  have  been  glad  of  such  a  fine  body  of  men.  and  might  have 
found  them  trustworthy  had  they  passed  under  his  command  in 
the  first  instance,  it  was  not  in  his  nature  to  treat  with  mutineers. 
He  therefore  refused  to  entertain  the  application,  and  left  them  to 
be  dealt  with  as  Prince  Blucher  should  judge  expedient.  The 
consequence  was,  that  after  a  little  angrjr  discussion,  the  Saxons 
were  disarmed,  and  passed  back  by  detachments,  under  escorts  of 
Prussian  troops,  into  their  own  country. 

It  was  the  end  of  April,  and  rumors  of  an  approaching  crisis 
grew  daily  more  rife.  Though  a  strict  vigilance  was  exercised  on 
the  French  frontier,  and  the  triple  line  of  fortresses  behind  which 
they  lay  enabled  the  enemy  to  concentrate  their  columns  in  per- 
fect security,  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  sources  of  information 
liever  wholly  failed  him ;  and  he  received  through  various  chan- 
nels reports,  more  or  less  accurate,  of  all  that  was  going  on  about 
Napoleon's  person.  That  the  Duke  gave  to  these  a  full  measure 
of  regard  seems  now  to  be  universally  admitted.  He  exhibited 
no  symptoms  of  impatience,  it  is  true — neither  did  he  throw  Bel 
gium  into  a  ferment  by  marching  troops  backwards  and  forwards, 
and  assuming  day  by  day  some  fresh  position — but  he  quietly  put 
his  chiefs  of  corps  upon  their  guard,  and  kept  a  steady  eye  upon 


CHAP,  vi.]      ORDERS  BY  THE  DUKE  OP  WELLINGTON.  49 

every  road  or  avenue  by  which  his  own  outposts  might  be  ap- 
proached. It  may  be  worth  while  to  exhibit  to  the  general  reader 
a  specimen  of  the  forethought  and  calmness  of  this  great  man  ; 
and  the  following  memorandum,  extracted  from  Colonel  Gur- 
wood's  '  Dispatches,'  affords  the  means  of  so  doing.  On  the  30th 
of  April,  little  more  than  three  weeks  subsequently  to  his  arrival 
in  Brussels,  he  thus  explains  to  the  Prince  of  Orange,  the  Earl 
of  Uxbridgc,  and  Lord  Hill,  his  views  of  the  allied  position : — 

"I.  Having  received  reports  that  the  Imperial  Guard  had  moved  from  Pans 
upon  Beauvais,  and  a  report  having  been  for  some  days  prevalent  in  the 
country  that  Bonaparte  was  about  to  visit  the  northern  frontier,  I  deem  it 
expedient  to  concentrate  the  cantonments  of  the  troops  with  a  view  to%  their 
early  junction  in  case  this  country  should  be  attacked;  for  which  concentra- 
tion the  Quartermaster-General  now  sends  orders. 

"  2.  In  this  case  the  enemy's  line  of  attack  will  be  cither  between  the  Lys 
and  the  Scheldt,  or  between  the  Sambre  and  the  Scheldt,  or  by  both  lines. 

"  3.  In  the  first  case,  I  should  wish  the  troops  of  the  4th  division  to  take  up 
the  bridges  on  the  Scheldt,  near  Avelghem,  and  with  the  regiment  of  cavalry 
at  Courtrai  to  fall  back  upon  Audenarde ,  which  post  they  are  to  occupy,  and 
to  inundate  the  country  in  the  neighborhood. 

"  4.  The  garrison  of  Ghent  are  to  inundate  the  country  in  the  neighborhood 
likewise ;  and  that  point  is  to  be  held  at  all  events. 

"  5.  The  cavalry  in  observation  between  Menin  and  Fumes  are  to  fall  back 
upon  Ostend;  those  between  Mcnin  and  Tournay  upon  Tournay,  and  then  to 
join  their  regiments. 

"  0.  The  1st,  2nd,  and  3rd  divisions  of  infantry  are  to  be  collected  at  the 
head-quarters  of  the  divisions,  and  the  cavalry  at  the  head-quarters  of  their 
several  brigades,  and  the  whole  to  be  in  readiness  to  inarch  at  a  moment's 
notice. 

"  7.  The  troops  of  the  Netherlands  to  be  collected  at  Soignies  and  Nivelles. 

"  8.  In  case  the  attack  should  be  made  between  the  Sambre  and  the  Scheldt, 
I  propose  to  collect  the  British  and  Hanoverians  at  and  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Enghien,  and  the  army  of  the  Low  Countries  at  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Soignies  and  Braine-le-Comte. 

"  9.  In  this  case,  the  2nd  and  3rd  divisions  will  collect  at  their  respective 
head-quarters,  and  gradually  fall  back  towards  Enghien  with  the  cavalry  of 
Col.  Arcntschildt's  and  the  Hanoverian  brigade. 

"  10.  The  garrisons  of  Mons  and  Tournay  will  stand  fast;  but  that  of  Ath 
will  he  withdrawn,  with  the  2nd  division,  if  the  works  should  not  have  been 
sufficiently  advanced  to  render  the  place  tenable  against  a  cmip  de  main. 

'•  11.  Gen.  .Sir  VV.  Ponsonby's,  Sir  J.  Vandclcur's,  and  Sir  II.  Vivian's 
brigades  of  cavalry  will  march  upon  Hal. 

3 


50  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  vr. 

"  12.  The  troops  of  the  Low  Countries  will  collect  upon  Soignies  andBraine- 
le-Comte. 

"  13.  The  troops  of  the  4th  division,  and  the  2nd  hussars,  after  taking  up 
the  bridge  at  Avelghem,  will  fall  back  upon  Audenarde,  and  there  wait  for 
further  orders. 

'•  11.  In  case  of  the  attack  being  directed  by  both  lines  supposed,  the  troops 
of  the  4th  division  and  2nd  hussars,  and  the  garrison  of  Ghent,  will  act  as 
directed  in  Nos.  3  and  4  of  this  Memorandum ;  and  the  2nd  and  3rd  divisions, 
and  the  cavalry,  and  the  troops  of  the  Low  Countries,  as  directed  in  Nos.  8,  9, 
10,  11,  and  12." 

The  preceding  document  shows  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
was  always  jealous  of  his  own  right  He  anticipated  that  Napo- 
leon's attack,  whether  made  by  single  or  double  line,  would  fall 
upon  that  flank;  and  to  the  last  moment  he  retained  that  opinion. 
His  reasons  for  doing  so  we  cannot  presume  to  give;  but  they  may 
possibly  have  been  of  this  sort : — He  knew,  that  of  the  various  roads 
which  conducted  from  the  French  frontier  to  Brussels,  those  which 
ran  through  the  valley  of  the  Sambre  and  the  Meuse  were  by  far 
the  least  practicable.  The  enemy,  indeed,  had  previously  bro- 
ken them  up,  as  a  measure  apparently  of  defence  against  the  allies ; 
whereas  the  chaussees  from  Valenciennes  through  Nevers,  from 
Conde  through  Ath  and  Enghien,  and  from  Lisle  through  Tour- 
nay,  were  all  of  them  excellent.  It  is  probable,  likewise,  that, 
being  himself  aware  of  the  exceeding  importance  of  keeping  open 
and  safe  his  communications  between  England  and  Holland,  he 
conceived  that  they  would  be  struck  at,  and  that  the  same  process 
which  interrupted  tJicm  might  force  Louis  XVIII.  and  his  court 
to  flee  from  Ghent.  Perhaps,  too,  it  may  have  occurred  to  him, 
that  armies,  and  especially  allied  armies,  stretching  over  a  large 
extent  of  country,  are  necessarily  more  vulnerable,  if  attacked  on 
one  of  their  extreme  flanks,  than  if  approached  by  the  centre. 
In  the  latter  case,  the  assailant  may  succeed  in  dividing  them  for 
a  moment ;  but  this  very  success  will  bring  him  into  a  position  of 
twofold  danger;  for,  unless  he  utterly  destroy  one  before  the 
other  carl  arrive  to  its  support,  his  partial  victory  must  place 
him  at  once  between  two  fires.  Moreover,  by  seeking  to  pierce 
the  centre,  he  enables  both  wings  to  collect,  either  upon  their 
advanced  line,  or  upon  a  second  line  in  the  rear,  with  far  greater 


CHAP,  vi.]  PREPARATIONS  FOR  WAR.  51 

rapidity,  as  well  as  with  more  certainty,  than  they  could  have 
done  had  they  been  taken  in  flank.  In  the  one  case,  the  most 
remote  corps  in  either  has  but  the  length  of  its  own  line  to  tra- 
verse ;  in  the  other,  the  extreme  left  will  not  have  had  time  to 
communicate  with  the  extreme  right,  far  less  to  strengthen  it, 
ere  the  latter  will  have  been  doubled  up,  and  the  roads  which 
It  was  protecting  be  laid  bare.  Accordingly,  to  the  latest  mo- 
ment, the  Duke  of  Wellington  kept  his  eye  steadily  upon  the 
approaches  by  the  valleys  of  the  Scheldt  and  the  Dender  to 
Ghent  and  Brussels,  while  at  the  same  time  he  observed  with 
sufficient  attention  the  progress  of  events  elsewhere.  For  ex- 
ample, we  find  him,  on  the  9th  of  May,  writing  to  Lord  Hill,  to 
the  Prussian  general  in  command  at  Charleroi,  and  to  Sir  Henry 
Ilardinage,  at  that  time  employed  as  English  commissioner  at 
Prince  Blvicher's  head-quarters,  about  movements  on  the  side  of 
the  enemy  which  seem  to  have  escaped  all  observation  except  his 
own.  The  dispatch  addressed  to  the  latter  ran  thus: — "There 
appears  no  doubt  that  the  enemy's  forces  are  collected  at  Mau- 
bcugc  and  Valenciennes — principally  at  the  former.  The  com- 
munication was  put  an  end  to  yesterday,  and  it  was  said  Bona- 
parte was  at  Conde.  I  was  told  at  Ghent  that  he  was  to  leave 
Paris  this  day.  I  have  written  to  the  General  officer  command- 
ing the  Prussian  troops  at  Charleroi;  and  I  will  keep  him  in- 
formed of  all  that  I  hear."  With  these  documents  before  us — 
and  they  constitute  but  a  small  portion  of  those  which  Colonel 
Gurwood's  invaluable  publication  has  given  to  the  world — it 
seems  incredible  that  there  should  exist  in  any  nation  individuals 
so  absurd  as  to  contend  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  at  any 
moment  thrown  off  his  guard.  His  views  of  the  method  by 
which  the  campaign  ought  to  have  been  opened  may  have  differed 
from  those  of  his  illustrious  opponent,  and  the  right  or  the 
wrong  in  regard  to  such  men's  opinions  must  always  continue  a 
moot  point ;  but  that  the  Duke  was  prepared  for  every  emer- 
gency, the  whole  tenor  of  his  correspondence  proves ;  and  the 
issue  of  the  struggle  has  surely  not  left  in  doubt  the  wisdom  of 
his  preparations  to  meet  it. 

So  passed  the  residue  of  April  and  the  whole  of  May      The 


52  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.        [JHAP.  TL 

season  was  one  of  continued  preparation  on  both  sides,  and  of  a 
watchfulness  which,  though  little  noticed  by  the  casual  observer, 
never  relaxed  itself.  A  chain  of  cavalry  outposts  covered,  on 
the  side  of  the  allies,  all  the  approaches  from  France.  On  the 
side  of  France,  bodies  of  gendarmerie,  mixed  with  pickets  of 
hussars,  impeded  as  much  as  possible  the  intercourse  of  the  peas- 
antry, and  did  their  best  to  stop  a  more  open  communicatioft 
between  persons  of  greater  weight ;  and  they  were  alike  vigilant 
and  active.  But  as  money,  and  that  passion  for  double-dealing 
which  seems  to  have  been  characteristic  of  almost  all  the  leading 
men  of  the  French  Revolution,  worked  out  ways  and  means  for 
defeating  the  precautionary  arrangements  of  Napoleon,  so  Flan 
ders  swarmed  with  persons  who  accounted  it  an  honor  and  a  pri- 
vilege to  report  progress  regularly  to  the  leader  of  the  French 
army,  and  to  keep  him  aware,  as-far  as  their  means  of  doing  so 
would  allow,  of  all  that  might  be  going  on  within  the  lines  of  the 
allies.  Hence  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  as  has  already  been 
stated,  never  lacked  intelligence,  more  or  less  accurate,  of  the 
enemy's  designs  and  preparations.  Hence  Napoleon,  in  like  man- 
ner, was  well  acquainted  with  the  positions  of  the  different  corps, 
both  of  the  British  and  the  Prussian  armies ;  and  if  he  deceived 
himself  respecting  the  temper  which  prevailed  in  some  of  them, 
the  blame  may  be  shared,  probably  in  equal  proportions,  between 
.him  and  his  informants. 

On  the  20th  of  May  the  Duke  of  "Wellington  addressed,  from 
his  head-quarters  at  Brussels,  a  letter  of  congratulation  to  Prince 
Metternich  on  the  success  of  the  Austrian  operations  against 
Murat.  On  the  2nd  of  June  lie  wrote  to  Prince  Schwartzcn- 
berg,  urging  an  immediate  advance  from  the  Upper  Rhine.  In 
this  latter  communication,  he  describes  himself  as  ready,  and 
Marshal  Blucher  as  eager,  to  begin  the  fray — while  he  gives  his 
reasons  why  it  would  be  imprudent  in  either  to  do  so  till  the 
Russians  and  Austrians  were  in  the  field.  But  the  Duke  was 
not  the  only  actor  in  this  great  drama,  who  felt  that  the  moment 
for  drawing  the  curtain  had  arrived.  Tidings  of  fresh  move 
ments,  and  of  preparations  hurried  forward  on  an  enormous  scale, 
came  in  daily  from  France.  It  was  clear  that  Napoleon  would 


UUP.  vi.J  PREPARATIONS   FOR  WAR.  53 

not  wait  to  be  attacked.  It  was  equally  evident  that,  crediting 
the  reports  of  those  who  described  the  French  party  in  the  Low 
Countries  as  being  both  numerous  and  influential,  the  first  blow 
would  fall  heavily  iii  this  direction.  Again  were  orders  issued 
to  have  all  things  in  a  state  of  preparation.  Blucher  was  kept 
conversant  with  events  as  they  befell,  or  were  anticipated.  Par- 
ticular directions  were  given  to  regard  the  fortresses  as  in  a  state 
of  siege  "le  moment  quo  1'ennemie  mcttra  Ic  pied  sur  le  tcrri- 
toire  des  Pays  Bas,"  and  particular  instructions  laid  down  as  to 
the  manner  of  dealing  with  each  of  them.  Finally,  the  whole 
face  of  the  country  between  Brussels  and  the  frontier  was  recon- 
noitred; and  officers  of  engineers  were  employed  to  make  sketches 
of  such  positions  as  seemed  to  offer  peculiar  facilities  for  the  dis- 
play of  troops  in  order  of  battle.  Among  others,  the  field  of 
Waterloo  was  mapped  and  laid  down  by  Captain  Pringle  and 
Colonel  Wells  so  early  as  the  8th  of  June,  and  the  plan  which 
these  officers  had  made  being  given  to  the  Duke  during  the  retro- 
gressive movement  of  the  17th,  his  Grace  on  that  day,  while  his 
array  was  retiring,  filled  in  with  his  own  hand  the  places  which 
the  several  brigades  and  regiments  were  to  occupy.  Thus,  in 
every  way,  and  to  the  utmost  extent  which  circumstances  would 
admit  of,  the  energies  of  the  allied  chiefs  were  taxed  to  provide 
against  the  future.  No  point  was  left  unguarded ;  no  opening 
given  through  which  the  communications  of  the  armies  with 
Holland,  England,  Germany,  and  with  each  other,  might  be 
broken,  or  their  depots  and  magazines  exposed.  Brussels  was 
covered ;  Ghent,  Nieuport,  and  Ostend  were  placed  in  compara- 
tive security ;  the  line  of  the  Meuse  was  observed  from  Namur 
to  Maestricht ;  and  the  roads  from  Philippeville  and  Beaumont 
through  Charleroi  and  Gosselies  were  protected  by  a  double  line, 
first,  of  Prussians  extending  from  Thuin  to  Chatelet,  and  in  rear 
of  them  by  a  division  of  the  Prince  of  Orange's  corps  at  Nivelles 
and  Genappe. 


54  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE   OF  WATERLOO,    rciur.  VIL 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Rumors  of  coming  Events. — Commencement  of  Hostilities. 

THERE  were  present  at  the-  bead-quarters  of  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington and  Prince  Bliicher  respectively,  officers  commissioned 
on  either  side  to  act  as  media  of  communication  between  the  two 
chiefs.  Lieut.  Colonel  Sir  Henry  Hardinge  (now  Lieut.  General 
Lord  Viscount  Hardinge)  held  this  honorable  post  on  the  part 
of  the  English  ;  General  Baron  Muffling  was  the  accredited  agent 
from  Prince  Bliicher  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  The  duties 
of  these  officers  were  as  much  diplomatic  as  military.  They 
were  intrusted  with  discretionary  powers  to  negotiate  such  ar- 
rangements as  the  exigencies  of  the  moment  might  render  neces- 
sary ;  and  it  was  thtir  business  to  detail  in  conversation  or  other- 
wise the  wishes  of  their  respective  chiefs  to  the  generals  to  whom 
they  were  attached.  It  would  appear,  likewise,  that  the  com- 
manders of  corps  and  brigades  in  the  Prussian  army  had  been 
instructed,  in  the  event  of  any  movement  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy,  to  report  the  same  immediately  to  General  Muffling  for 
the  information  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  These  facts  the 
historian  is  bound  to  keep  in  view  while  describing  the  great 
event  that  gave  its  character  to  the  year  1815;  because  on  the 
last  of  these  an  important  question  turns,  which,  were  we  without 
the  light  thus  aiforded  to  guide  us  in  its  examination,  would  be 
involved  in  impenetrable  mystery. 

On  the  12th  of  June  Lieut.  Colonel  von  Wessel,  of  the  1st 
Hussars,  King's  German  Legion,  reported  to  Sir  Hussey  Vivian 
from  his  outposts  in  front  of  Tournay,  that  the  enemy  were  as- 
sembling in  force.  On  the  following  day  Vivian  repaired  to  the 
outposts  in  person ;  and  found  that  the  cavalry  which  used  to 
face  our  people  had  been  withdrawn,  and  that  their  place  was  sup- 
plied by  mounted  custom-house  officers.  With  these  he  opened 


:HAP.  vn.J  THE  PRUSSIANS  ATTACKED.  55 

a  communication  ;  and  they  informed  him,  without  hesitationf 
that  hostilities  were  about  to  commence,  and  that  if  the  Allied 
army  delayed  to  enter  France,  the  French  would  take  the  initia- 
tive by  penetrating  into  Belgium.  Vivian,  as  in  duty  bound, 
lost  no  time  in  informing  Lord  Hill  and  the  Earl  of  Uxbridge  of 
what  had  befallen;  and  these  officers,  in  their  turn,  communi- 
cated the  tidings  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  But  his  Grace  did 
not,  therefore,  feel  that  the  time  was  come  for  effecting  any  decided 
change  in  the  disposition  of  his  corps ;  and  the  Allied  troops  con- 
tinued, in  consequence,  to  occupy  their  cantonments  as  heretofore. 
It  was  now  manifest  to  all  who  saw  beyond  the  surface  of 
things,  that  the  storm  was  about  to  break.  The  proceedings  on 
the  occasion  of  the  famous  Champ-de-Mai  had  long  been  commu- 
nicated to  the  Allied  generals.  It  was  not  concealed  that  the 
several  corps  of  the  army  of  the  North  had  drawn  nearer  to  one 
another ;  and  the  march  of  the  Guard  and  the  departure  of  Na- 
poleon from  Paris  were  openly  discussed.  Still  the  exact  time 
or  line  by  which  the  enemy  would  advance  was  a  mystery ;  and 
till  these  should  be  cleared  up,  no  counter-movement  on  the  part 
either  of  the  Prussians  or  the  English  could  be  made,  except  at 
a  disadvantage.  Accordingly,  so  late  as  the  15th  of  June  all 
things  went  on  at  Brussels  as  if  no  enemy  had  been  within  a 
hundred  miles  of  the  city.  There  were  the  same  rounds  of 
morning  calls  and  evening  parties  as  heretofore.  Friends  met 
and  greeted  one  another  in  the  park,  with  scarcely  an  allusion 
to  what  the  morrow  might  bring  forth ;  and  the  Duke  himself 
sat  down  to  dinner  at  three  o'clock — ignorant  that  a  shot  had 
been  fired,  or  a  French  column  put  in  motion.  It  was  then  that 
the  Prince  of  Orange,  coming  in  from  the  outposts  to  share  his 
Grace's  hospitality,  made  him  aware  for  the  first  time,  that  the 
Prussians  had  been  attacked  at  Thuin  ;  and  the  following  mem- 
orandum was,  in  consequence,  drawn  up  and  dispatched  without  a 
moment's  delay : — 

"  Bruxelles,  15th  June,  1815. 

"  Gen.  Dornbcrg's  brigade  of  cavalry  and  the  Cumberland  Hussars  to 
march  this  night  upon  Vilvorde,  and  to  bivouac  on  the  Ixigh  road  near  to  that 
town. 

I 


56  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  vir. 

"  The  Earl  of  Uxbridge  will  be  pleased  to  collect  the  cavalry  this  night  at 
Ninhove,  leaving  the  2nd  Hussars  looking  out  between  the  Scheldt  and  tho 
Lys. 

"  The  1st  division  of  infantry  to  collect  this  night  at  Ath  and  places  adjacent, 
and  to  be  in  readiness  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice. 

"  The  3rd  division  to  collect  this  night  at  Braine-le-Comte,  and  to  be  in  readi- 
ness to  move  at  the  shortest  notice. 

"  The  4th  division  to  be  collected  this  night  at  Grammont,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  troops  beyond  the  Scheldt,  which  are  to  be  moved  to  Audenarde. 

"  The  5th  division,  the  81st  regiment,  and  the  Hanoverian  brigade  of  the 
Gth  division  to  be  in  readiness  to  march  from  Brussels  at  a  moment's  notice. 

"The  Duke  of  Brunswick's  corps  to  collect  this  night  on  the  high  road  be- 
tween Brussels  and  Vilvorde. 

"  The  Nassau  troops  to  collect  at  daylight  to-morrow  morning  on  the  Lou- 
vain  road,  and  to  be  in  readiness  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice. 

"  The  Hanoverian  brigade  to  collect  this  night  at  Hal,  and  to  be  in  readiness 
at  daylight  to-morrow  morning  to  move  towards  Brussels ;  and  to  halt  on  the 
high  road  between  Alost  and  Asschc  for  further  orders. 

"  The  Prince  of  Orange  is  requested  to  collect  at  Nivelles  the  2nd  and  3rd 
divisions  of  the  army  of  the  Low  Countries ;  and  should  that  point  have  been 
attacked  this  day,  to  move  the  3rd  division  of  British  infantry  upon  Nivelles 
as  soon  as  collected. 

"  This  movement  is  not  to  take  place  until  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  ene- 
my's attack  is  upon  the  right  of  the  Prussian  army,  and  the  left  of  the  British 
army. 

"  Lord  Hill  will  be  so  good  as  to  order  Prince  Frederick  of  Orange  to  occupy 
Audenarde  with  500  men,  and  to  collect  the  1st  division  of  the  army  of  the 
Low  Countries  and  the  Indian  brigade  at  Sotteghcm  so  as  to  be  ready  to 
march  in  the  morning  at  daylight. 

"  The  reserve  artillery  to  be  in  readiness  to  move  at  daylight. 

"  WELLINGTON. 

The  above  orders  were  issued  at  four  or  five  o'clock  in  the  af- 
ternoon of  the  15th.  The  couriers  that  took  them  were  not  long 
gone  when  Baron  Muffling  arrived  with  a  confirmation  of  the 
Prince  of  Orange's  statement ;  and  gave  a  much  more  circum- 
stantial and  detailed  narration  of  the  events  which  had  befallen. 
The  Duke  received  this  supplementary  and  grave  intelligence 
'with  perfect  coolness.  There  was  to  be  a  grand  ball  that  night 
at  the  Duchess  of  Richmond's,  to  which  the  Coramander-in-Chief, 
the  head-quarters'  staff,  and  many  officers,  some  of  them  from 
distant  divisions,  had  been  invited.  It  was  suggested  to  the 
Duke  that  the  Duchess  should  be  advised  to  postpone  her  enter 


CHAP,  vii.]  MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  BRITISH.  5~ 

tainmcnt.  He  rejected  the  counsel  with  a  good-humored  joke, 
observing,  that  it  would  never  do  to  disappoint  a  lady  of  her 
Grace's  merits ;  and  thus,  as  his  habit  was,  wrapped  up  the  most 
important  political  considerations  in  an  apparent  regard  to  the 
punctilios  of  civilized  life.  The  Duke  knew  that  Brussels  and 
Belgium  generally  would  take  the  alarm  soon  enough ;  and  he 
was  too  prudent  to  precipitate  the  event.  He  thereupon  dressed 
himself,  caused  his  immediate  followers  to  dress  in  like  manner, 
and  without  making  an  effort  to  stop  any  one  even  from  the 
outposts,  repaired  at  the  appointed  hour  to  the  Duchess's  apart- 
ments. 

He  did  not  go,  however,  without  in  the  first  place  putting  all 
things  in  a  train,  as  became  the  leader  of  an  army  in  his  situation. 
Whatever  doubts  he  might  have  heretofore  entertained  regarding 
the  nature  of  the  movement  which  the  enemy  were  making  had 
been  removed.  He  saw  that  the  attack  on  the  Prussian  right 
was  a  real  one ;  and  though  he  still  experienced  a  jealousy  of 
his  own  right,  he  hastened  to  meet  the  assailant  on  the  ground 
which  himself  had  chosen.  The  following  memorandum  will  best 
explain  his  manner  of  effecting  this  important  end  : — 

"  Bruxelles,  After  Orders,  15th  of  June,  10  o'clock  at  night. 

"  The  3rd  division  of  Infantry  to  continue  its  movement  from  Braine-le- 
Comte  upon  Nivelles. 

"  The  1st  division  to  move  from  Enghien  upon  Braine-le-Comte. 

"  The  2nd  and  4th  divisions  to  move  from  Ath  and  Grammont,  also  from 
Audenarde,  and  to  continue  their  movements  upon  Enghien. 

"  The  cavalry'to  continue  its  movements  from  Ninhove  upon  Enghien. 

"  The  above  movements  to  take  place  with  as  little  delay  as  possible." 

While  the  Duke  of  Wellington  is  thus  preparing  to  meet  the 
danger  with  which  he  is  menaced,  yet  sustaining  the  spirits  of 
his  troops  and  giving  confidence  to  his  Allies  by  bearing  himself 
to  the  last  like  one  who  knew  not  what  danger  was,  it  may  not 
be  amiss  if  we  throw  a  rapid  glance  over  the  proceedings  of  the 
enemy,  so  as  to  connect  these,  and  the  operations  of  the  Prussians 
arising  out  of  them,  with  the  crises  in  the  affairs  of  the  army  of 
Flanders  at  which  we  have  arrived. 

The  grand  military  spectacle   of   the    Champ-de-Mai  being 


58  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  vn. 

accomplished,  Napoleon,  in  pursuance  of  the  promise  which  he 
then  gave,  proceeded  to  bring  his  strength  to  bear  upon  the 
northern  frontier.  The  4th  corps,  of  which  Gen.  Girard  was  at 
the  head,  quitted  on  the  C'th  of  J  une  its  cantonments  about  Metz, 
Longwy,  and  Thionville,  and  marched  upon  Philippeville.  It 
reached  its  appointed  place  of  concentration  on  the  14th,  and 
entered  at  once  into  communication  with  the  6th  corps  under 
Count  Lobau,  the  1st  under  Count  d'Erlon,  the  2nd  under  Count 
lleille,  and  the  3rd  under  Lieut.  Gen.  Count  Vandainme.  All 
these  had  removed  from  their  respective  stations  at  Laon.  Lisle, 
Valenciennes,  and  Mezieres,  in  sufficient  time  to  arrive  on  the 
13th  at  Maubeuge  and  Avesne,  and  with  the  four  corps  of  reserve 
cavalry,  which  were  concentrated  on  the  Upper  Sambre,  consti- 
tuted an  army  to  which,  both  for  its  composition  and  its  numbers, 
the  world  has  never  seen  anything  superior.  For  in  addition  to 
the  magnificent  troops  of  the  line — the  infantry,  cavalry,  and 
artillery,  of  which  France  had  just  cause  to  be  proud — the  Im- 
perial Guard,  which  defiled  out  of  Paris  on  the  8th,  marched  on 
the  13th  into  its  bivouac.  And  finally,  Napoleon  himself,  travel- 
ling with  his  accustomed  celerity,  compassed  between  the  12th 
and  the  evening  of  the  13th,  the  space  which  divided  the  capital, 
from  his  army;  and  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  the  14th 
put  forth  the  celebrated  Order  t»f  the  Day,  of  which  the  subjoined 
is  a  translation  : — 

"  Soldiers ! — This  is  the  day — the  anniversary  of  Marengo  and  of  Friedland 
— which  twice  decided  the  fate  of  Europe.  Then,  as  after  Austerlitz,  as  after 
Wagram,  we  were  too  generous.  We  believed  in  the  protestations  and  oaths 
of  princes  whom  we  left  on  their  thrones.  Now,  however,  leagued  together, 
they  aim  at  the  independence  and  the  most  sacred  rights  of  France.  They 
have  commenced  the  most  unjust  of  aggressions.  Let  us  then  march  to  meet 
them.  Are  they  and  we  no  longer  the  same  men  7 

"  Soldiers  ! — At  Jena,  against  these  same  Prussians,  who  are  now  so  arro- 
gant, you  were  one  to  three,  and  at  Montrnirail  one  to  six. 

"  Let  those  among  you  who  have  been  captives  to  the  English,  describe  the 
nature  of  their  prison-ships,  and  the  frightful  miseries  they  endured. 

"  The  Saxons,  the  Belgians,  the  Hanoverians,  the  soldiers  of  the  Confedera- 
tion of  the  Rhine,  lament  that  they  are  compelled  to  use  their  arms  in  tha 
cause  of  princes — the  enemies  of  justice  and  of  the  rights  of  all  nations. 
They  know  that  this  coalition  is  insatiable.  After  hiving  devoured  twelve 


IHAP.  vn.]          NAPOLEON'S  ORDER  OP  THE  DAY.  5<J 

.millions  of  Poles,  one  million  of  Saxons,  and  six  millions  of  Belgians,  it  now 
wishes  to  devour  the  states  of  the  second  rank  in  Germany. 

"  Madmen  ! — One  moment  of  prosperity  has  bewildered  them.  The  oppres- 
sion and  the  humiliation  of  the  French  people  are  beyond  their  power.  If 
they  enter  France,  they  will  there  find  their  grave. 

"  Soldiers! — We  have  forced  marches  to  make,  battles  to  fight,  dangers  to 
encounter ;  but  with  firmness,  victory  will  be  ours.  The  rights,  the  honor,  and 
the  happiness  of  the  country  will  be  recovered. 

"  To  every  Frenchman  who  has  a  heart,  the  moment  is  now  arrived  to  con- 
quer or  to  die. 

"  NAPOLEON." 

Meanwhile  the  Prussians  were  neither  blind  to  the  prepara- 
tions which  the  enemy  were  making,  nor  regardless  of  them. 
Gen.  von  Zieten,  who  commanded  the  1st  corps  d'armee,  and 
communicated  by  his  right  with  the  extreme  left  of  the  British 
army,  saw  from  his  outposts  in  front  of  Thuin  and  Lobbes  the 
fires  of  the  French  bivouac.  These  had  suddenly  gleamed  up 
from  behind  a  range  of  slight  acclivities,  which  pass  from  Solrc- 
•  sur-Sambre,  by  Beaumont,  as  far  as  Philippeville,  and  led  at  once 
to  the  conclusion  that  on  the  right  of  the  Sambre,  so  as  to 
threaten  the  road  to  Charleroi,  a  strong  force  was  assembled. 
Zieten  lost  no  time  in  communicating  the  result  of  his  observa- 
tions to  Marshal  Blucher  and  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  Had 
he  been  equally  alert  in  making  the  latter  aware  of  the  attack 
which  was  not  long  afterwards  made  upon  his  own  position,  the 
battle  of  Ligny  might  have  either  not  been  fought  at  all,  or 
would  have  terminated  less  disastrously  to  his  countrymen  ;  but 
by  a  strange  fatality  he  overlooked  the  necessity  of  doing  this, 
and  some  precious  hours  were  in  consequence  lost,  and  many  val- 
uable lives  sacrificed. 

Gen.  Zieten,  and  indeed  the  Prussians  of  all  ranks,  were  per- 
fectly prepared  for  any  event  that  might  occur.  So  early  as  the 
2nd  of  May,  the  commander  of  the  1st  corps  had  given  particu- 
lar instructions  to  the  officers  at  the  head  of  his  brigades  con- 
cerning the  course  which,  in  case  of  an  attack,  it  behooved  them 
to  follow.  They  were  to  maintain  themselves  in  Lobbes,  Thuin, 
and  the  villages  adjacent,  as  long  as  possible  ;  to  fall  back  fight- 
ing upon  Marchicnnc,  Charleroi,  and  Chatelct, — to  defend  tho 


00  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.      [CHAP,  vu 

passages  of  the  Sambre  and  the  Pieton ;  and  last  of  all,  if  over- 
powered, to  break  down  the  bridges,  and  retire  upon  a  new  posi- 
tion, of  which  Gosselies  should  be  one  pivot  and  Flcurus  another. 
In  strict  agreement  with  the  purport  of  these  instructions  were 
the  orders  which  Blucher  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  14th 
dispatched  to  Gens.  Biilow,  Pirch,  and  Thielmaun,  of  whom 
each  was  at  the  head  of  a  corps.  The  first  was  directed  to  march 
without  delay  from  Liege  to  Hannut ;  the  second  to  move  from 
Namur  upon  Sombref;  the  third  to  fall  back  from  Ciney  to 
Namur ;  and  the  whole  to  unite,  as  soon  as  ulterior  directions 
should  reach  them,  in  rear  of  Fleurus.  Thus  General  Thiel- 
mann's  corps  became  a  screen  for  the  other  three,  which,  pro- 
tected by  it,  were  to  concentrate  and  form ;  after  which,  either 
with  or  without  the  English,  Blucher  expressed  himself  ready  to 
give  battle. 

The  dawn  of  the  15th  was  just  beginning  to  break,  when  Na- 
poleon, who  had  slept  the  previous  night  in  Beaumont,  appeared 
with  his  brother  Jerome  at  a  balcony,  and  was  seen  anxiously  to ' 
examine  the  state  of  the  weather.  This  was  to  him  a  matter  of 
vital  importance,  because  it  affected  to  a  great  extent  the  effi- 
ciency of  his  cavalry,  to  which,  in  the  rich  heavy  plains  of  Belgium, 
he  mainly  trusted  for  separating  the  Prussians  from  the  English 
and  enabling  him  to  beat  them  in  detail.  There  was  nothing  un- 
favorable in  the  aspect  of  the  heavens.  Some  clouds  floated  over 
the  face  of  the  sky,  but  they  could  not  be  said  to  threaten  a 
storm  ;  and  Napoleon,  as  if  satisfied  with  the  results  of  his  obser- 
vations, withdrew.  In  less  than  an  hour  afterwards,  that  is  to 
say,  about  half-past  three,  or  a  little  earlier,  the  whole  of  the 
French  army  was  in  motion,  and  in  various  columns  directed  its 
march  upon  Marchienne,  Charleroi,  and  Chatelet. 

As  soon  as  the  enemy's  light  troops  crossed  the  frontier  they 
became  engaged  with  the  Prussian  pickets.  The  latter  could  not 
of  course  keep  their  ground,  but  fell  back  skirmishing,  and  all 
the  open  country  bctwee'n  Binche  and  the  Sambre  was  abandoned. 
The  village  of  Lobbes  and  the  little  town  of  Thuin  presented,  how- 
ever, more  defensible  features,  and  of  these  the  French  did  not 
gain  possession  till  after  a  S2vere  struggle.  Upon  this  General 


JUAP.  vii.]  FRENCH  ENTER  CHARLEROI.  61 

Zieten  withdrew  into  Charleroi  with  his  2nd  brigade,  and  pre- 
pared to  hold  the  bridges  to  the  last  extremity.  Meanwhile  his 
1st  brigade  fell  back,  by  Marchienne-au-Pont,  upon  Gilly — the 
3rd  and  4th  marching  direct  towards  Fleurus.  At  the  former 
of  these  places  the  1st  brigade  made  a  resolute  stand,  though 
uumbers  at  length  prevailed  ;  and  at  the  latter  it  took  up  a  good 
position,  and  was  permitted  for  an  hour  or  two  to  rest.  Charle- 
roi became  henceforth  the  object  of  the  enemy's  movements,  and 
it  was  furiously  assailed  by  Gen.  Pajol's  light  cavalry  in  the  firgt 
instance,  and  next  by  the  Imperial  Guard,  which  occupied  ground 
that  ought  to  have  been  taken  by  Vandamme's  corps,  but  which 
the  latter,  through  some  mismanagement,  never  received  orders 
to  seize.  The  fighting  at  Charleroi  was  severe,  but  the  result 
could  not  be  doubtful.  About  eleven  o'clock  the  French  were,  in 
possession  of  the  town  ;  and  the  bridges,  both  there  and  at  Mar- 
chienne,  higher  up  the  stream,  fell  into  their  hands ;  being  but 
partially  injured,  they  were  immediately  restored. 

That  Gen.  Zieten  bore  himself  throughout  this  trying  day  like 
a  gallant  soldier,  and  fully  discharged  the  duty  which,  in  this 
respect,  he  owed  to  his  country,  admits  of  no  doubt.  He  did  not 
give  up  an  inch  of  ground  so  long  as  it  could  be  maintained  ;  and 
by  the  obstinacy  of  his  resistance  to  immense  odds  not  only  re- 
tarded the  advance  of  the  enemy,  but  gave  time  to  Blucher,  with 
three  out  of  the  four  corps  which  ho  had  put  in  motion,  to  as- 
semble. But  for  the  negligence  which  hindered  him  from  com- 
municating with  Brussels,  as  well  as  with  Hannut,  it  is  impossible 
to  account.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  entertained  the  smallest 
doubt,  from  the  beginning,  in  regard  to  the  nature  and  extent  of 
the  danger  which  threatened.  At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  he 
saw  that  the  whole  French  army  was  in  his  front.  At  ten.  he 
was  warmly  engaged  with  the  Imperial  Guard  about  Charleroi, 
and  could  not  have  failed,  had  he  thought  at  all,  to  perceive  that 
it  was  quite  as  necessary  to  inform  the  Duke  of  Wellington  of  tho 
circumstance,  as  to  make  it  known  to  Prince  BlQcher.  Neither 
was  there  any  reason,  in  the  local  situations  of  the  head-quarters 
of  the  two  Marshals,  why  the  one  should  have  been  kept  in  igno- 
rance of  what  was  communicated  tc  the  other.  Brussels  is  not 


62  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  m 

further  removed  from  Charleroi  than  Hannut.  Both  may  be 
about  thirty  English  miles  distant  from  that  town  ;  and  the  road 
to  the  former  was,  in  1815,  at  least  as  passable  as  the  road  to  the 
latter.  Had  Gen.  Zieten,  therefore,  as  soon  as  he  satisfied  him- 
self concerning  the  real  state  of  the  case,  dispatched  an  aide-de- 
camp or  a  well-mounted  orderly  to  Baron  Muffling,  tidings  of 
Napoleon's  advance  would  have  reached  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
by  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  at  the  latest.  This,  however,  he 
failed  to  do ;  and  the  consequence  was,  that  orders  which  might 
have  been  issued  to  the  English  divisions  at  ten  in  the  morning, 
were  not  dispatched  till  ten  at  night — a  loss  of  time  which  wholly 
incapacitated  the  Allies  from  coming  up  as  they  otherwise  would 
have  done,  en  masse,  to  support  the  Prussians,  and  which,  but  for 
the  sagacity  and  marvellous  energy  of  their  leader,  must  have  left 
the  Prussians  on  the  IGlh  to  sustain,  single  handed,  the  whole 
weight  of  the  enemy's  forces. 

The  French,  though  checked  at  every  favorable  position,  were 
everywhere  successful.  They  had  carried  all  the  advanced  sta- 
tions of  the  Prussians,  and  were  in  command  of  the  great  road 
which  leads  by  Charleroi  to  Brussels.  It  became  from  henceforth 
their  business  to  push  this  advantage  to  the  uttermost,  and  to  cut 
off,  if  possible,  all  communication  between  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
and  Prince  Blucher.  With  this  view  Napoleon  put  two  corps 
d'armee  under  the  orders  of  Marshal  Ney,  who  joined  him  at  seven 
o'clock  on  this  eventful  evening,  and  directed  him  to  press  forward 
by  the  great  chaussee,  and  to  sweep  before  him  whatever  troops 
he  might  find  cantoned  on  the  way  to  Brussels.  Meanwhile  he 
himself,  with  the  bulk  of  the  army,  took  the  road  to  Fleurus.  It 
was  his  design,  as  it  was  evidently  his  interest,  to  throw  back  the 
Prussian  right.  Could  he  but  succeed  in  rolling  it  on  towards 
Namur,  his  game  might  be  played  with  good  prospect  of  success, 
for  he  confidently  anticipated  that  Ney,  reinforced  by  a  reserve 
corps  of  heavy  cavalry,  would  be  able  to  hold  the  English  in  check 
till  the  Prussians  should  have  been  disposed  of.  But  Napoleon 
did  not  calculate  either  on  the  obstinacy  of  Blucher,  or  on  the 
untiring  energy  of  the  British  soldiers,  and  the  fertile  genius  of 
their  chief.  He  waged  war  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to  do 


CHAP.  TIU]  FRENCH  AT  FLEURUS.  63 

against  Melas  in  Italy,  and  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  at  Jena  ;  and 
the  event  proved  that  neither  Bliicher  nor  Wellington  were  to  be 
foiled  with  such  weapons. 

The  main  body  of  the  French  army  did  not  advance  that  night 
beyond  Fleurus.  Zieten  and  his  corps  were,  indeed,  in  position 
about  that  place,  and  so  well  had  they  contested  the  ground  in- 
termediate between  it  and  the  bridges  over  the  Sambre,  that  day- 
light was  wanting  to  the  enemy — had  there  been  animal  vigor 
enough  left — to  carry  them  through  a  struggle  for  its  possession.* 
Ney,  however,  pushed  on.  He  passed  through  Gosselies,  keeping 
a  regiment  of  lancers  in  his  front,  and  met  with  no  resistance  till 
he  began  to  touch  Frasne,  when  his  cavalry  was  received  with 
such  a  heavy  fire  of  grape  and  musketry  that  it  recoiled.  A  few 
words  will  explain  whence  this  proceeded. 

It  has  been  stated  elsewhere  that  the  extreme  left  of  the  Duke 

• 

of  Wellington's  line  composed  of  the  2nd  Dutch-Belgian  division 
under  Gen.  de  Perpoucher,  rested  upon  the  high  road  between  ( 
Charleroi  and  Brussels;  the  2nd  brigade  of  this  division,  of  which 
Prince  Bcrnhard  of  Saxe  Weimar  was  in  command,  comprised, 
the  three  battalions  of  the  2nd  regiment  of  Nassau,  two  battalions 
of  the  regiment  of  Orange-Nassau,  and  a  Dutch  battery  of  horse- 
artillery.  Of  these,  the  second  battalion  of  the  regiment  of  Nas- 
sau, with  the  Dutch  guns,  lay  at  Frasne  and  Villers  Peruin. 
They  had  heard  from  an  early  hour  the  sound  of  firing ;  but 
having  long  been  accustomed  to  the  noise  of  the  Prussian  prac- 
tice, and  no  messenger  coming  in  to  warn  them  that  work  more 
serious  was  in  progress,  they  naturally  concluded  that  things  re- 
mained as  heretofore,  and  that  there  could  be  no  particular  demand 
upon  their  vigilance.  By-and-by  some  wounded  Prussian  sol- 
diers dragged  themselves  towards  their  cantonments,  and  then 
the  truth  came  out.  Major  Van  Normann,  who  commanded  tin? 
battalion,  beat  to  arms  forthwith.  He  threw  out  a  picket  in 
front  of  Frasne — chose  ground  for  the  main  body  of  his  infantry 
and  of  his  guns  in  its  rear — and,  after  informing  Gen.  Pcrponcher 
of  the  state  of  affairs,  lay  upon  his  arms.  lie  was  attacked  Into 
in  the  afternoon,  and  his  pickets  driven  in  ;  but  on  the  line  and 
the  battery  which  it  protected,  the  enemy's  horse  made  no  im- 


C4  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      ICIIAP.  vn. 

pression.  By-and-bj  a  division  of  Reille's  infantry  assailed  him 
— the  lancers  threatening  at  the  same  time — and  he  was  forced 
to  fall  back,  though  in  good  order,  upon  the  wood  of  Bossu.  This, 
a  covert  of  some  extent,  lay  upon  the  right  of  the  hamlet  of  Quatre 
Bras,  into  which  place  Prince  Bernhard  had  thrown  the  main 
body  of  his  brigade,  and  it  afforded  excellent  cover  to  Major  Van 
Normann's  battalion.  He  filled  it  in  force  ;  and  such  was  the 
attitude  assumed,  both  by  him  and  the  remainder  of  the  brigade, 

•  that  the  enemy,  after  one  or  two  attempts  to  overwhelm  them, 
withdrew.  That  night  the  advance  of  Ney's  force  slept  in  Frasne 
and  in  the  fields  adjacent.  Reille,  with  two  divisions  and  a  strong 
body  of  artillery,  occupied  Gosselies.  Girard,  with  one  division, 
was  at  Heppignies,  in  communication  with  the  main  army  in  front 
of  Fleurus  ;  while  d'Erlon,  whose  corps  was  likewise  under  Ney's 
orders,  bivouacked  in  and  around  Marchienne-au-Pont.  Thus, 
after  eighteen  hours  of  constant  marching  and  fighting,  the  French 
*  found  themselves  about  fifteen  miles  in  advance  of  their  position 
of  the  14th,  having  driven  back,  but  not  destroyed,  one  of  the 

»  four  corps  of  which  the  Prussian  army  was  composed,  and  barelj 
touched,  without  seriously  engaging,  two  brigades  of  the  Anglo- 
Belgian  army. 


CHAP.  TIM.]     SCATTERED  STATE  OF  THE  FRENCH  ARMY.       05 


CHAPTER    VIII.     . 

Concentration  of  the  English  and  Prussian  Annies  at  Quatre  Bras  and  Ligny. 

THE  night  between  the  15th  and  IGth  of  June  was  an  anxious 
and  fatiguing  one  to  thousands.     The  Prussians  were  in  full 
march  from  Ciney,  Namur,  and  Huy.     Billow's  corps,  likewise, 
which  lay  at  Liege,  had  been  sent  for ;  but  by  some  mistake  on 
the  part  of  the  messenger  the  dispatch  never  reached  its  destina- 
tion, and  Biilow  failed  in  consequence  to  take  his  prescribed  part 
in  the  operations.    Meanwhile  the  French,  overcome  with  fatigue, 
lay,  in  marvellously  Joose  order,  over  the  whole  face  of  the  coun- 
try from  the  Sarnbre  to  Flcurus.     The  heads  of  their  columns 
bad  indeed  been  pushed  within  three  English  miles  of  the  Prus- 
sian point  of  concentration  ;  but  the  rear  straggled  in  a  very 
unaccountable  manner.     Napoleon  himself  slept  at  Charleroi,  a 
great  deal  too  far  in  the  rear,  more  especially  as  he  kept  with  him 
the  Guards,  as  well  as  the  whole  of  Lobau's  corps — for  his  own 
fate  and  the  fate  of  Europe  hung  at  that  moment  in  the  balance, 
lie  had  struck  a  bold,  perhaps  a  rash  blow.    He  was  seeking  that 
which  was  scarcely  to  be  obtained  except  by  a  fortunate  accident, 
and  the  loss  of  which  was  morally  certain,  unless  the  search  were 
followed  up  energetically.      He  might  not  know — probably  he 
did  not — the  exact  position  which  Bliichcr  had   determined  to 
take  up  ;  but  the  line  of  the  Prussian  fires  showed  him  where 
their  troops  lay,  and  his  own  he  ought  to  have  concentrated  with- 
in half  cannon-shot  of  them.     Instead  of  this  he  permitted  bri- 
gades, divisions,  and  corps  to  establish  themselves  for  the  night 
wherever  darkness  overtook  them,  so  that  to  renew  the  battle 
with  any  sure  prospect  of  success  on  the  first  dawn  of  the  morning 
was  impossible. 

Of  the  breathing  space  thus  allowed  them  the  allied  generals 
made  good  use.     The  1st  Prussian  corps,  that  of  Zietcn,  weak- 


CG  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  via 

ened  by  a  loss  of  about  1200  men,  Blucher  placed  in  a  position 
which  he  had  well  reconnoitered  above  the  village  of  Ligny.  The 
2nd  corps,  of  which  Gen.  Pirch  was  at  the  head,  bivouacked 
between  Onoz  and  Mazy,  about  six  miles  off.  It  had  marched 
that  day  from  Namur.  The  3rd.  or  Gen.  Thielmann's  corps, 
from  Ciney,  sc^cely  halted  to  rest  in  Namur,  but  moved  on  all 
night,  and  made  strenuous  endeavors  to  close.  Bulow,  as  has 
already  been  stated,  took  things  more  easily,  for  though  he  had 
been  warned  to  pass  from  Liege  to  Hannut,  he  was  not  made  aware 
that  there  was  need  of  haste  ;  and  Liege  being  full  sixty  English 
miles  from  Ligny,  there  was  little  chance  of  his  arriving  in  time 
for  a  battle.  Still  Blucher  calculated  on  being  able,  about  noon 
on  the  16th  at  the  furthest,  to  bring  together,  if  not  interrupted, 
80,000  good  troops ;  and  Napoleon  certainly  did  not  act  as  if  he 
had  desired  to  interrupt  him.  Blucher,  therefore,  felt  tolerably 
secure,  for  he  knew  enough  of  the  character.of  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington to  be  aware  that  on  his  Grace's  part  no  exertions  to  co- 
operate with  him  effectually  would  be  wanting.  But  Blucher 
either  did  not  know,  or  amid  the  anxieties  of  his  own  situation 
forgot,  that  the  Duke  had  been  left  too  much  in  the  dark  con- 
cerning the  events  that  were  in  progress. 

It  has  been  stated  already  that  the  first  tidings  communicated 
to  the  Duke  of  the  attack  by  the  French  on  Gen.  Zieten's  outposts 
were  carried  to  him  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
15th,  by  the  Prince  of  Orange.  His  lloyal  Highness  evidently 
did  not  know  whether  the  attack  was  a  real  or  a  feigned  one,  for  he 
described  the  enemy  as  having  occupied  and  subsequently  aban- 
doned Binche  ;  and  the  Duke  had  too  much  respect  for  the  genius 
of  Napoleon  to  risk,  on  such  uncertain  tidings,  a  movement  that 
might  prove  to  be  a  false  one.  He,  therefore,  contented  himself 
by  directing  the  various  divisions  of  his  army  to  assemble  at  their 
respective  alarm-posts.  But  no  sooner  was  Gen.  Muffling  intro- 
duced as  the  bearer  of  intelligence  that  could  be  relied  upon, 
than  he  put  the  whole  of  the  troops  in  motion.  All  .the  corps 
lying  to  the  left  of  Nivelles  were  directed  to  march  on  that  point ; 
they  were  to  proceed,  too,  independently,  under  cover  of  the  for- 
tresses which  the  Duke's  provident  care  had  thrown  up ;  and 


CHAP,  viii.]  DUCHESS  OF  RICHMOND'S  BALL.  07 

they  did  so  without  sustaining  the  slightest  molestation.  More- 
over, so  quietly  was  the  operation  planned  and  carried  into  effect, 
now  that  all  fears  of  attack  by  the  Mons  road  were  removed,  that 
in  Brussels  itself  only  a  few  vague  rumors  broke  in  upon  the 
sense  of  security  which,  up  to  that  moment,  had  pervaded  all 
circles.  There  was  no  interruption  to  the  common  business  of 
life  ;  people  bought  and  sold,  went  and  came,  as  heretofore  ;  and 
in  the  evening1  the  notes  of  a  well-arranged  military  band  pro- 
claimed where  the  Duchess  of  Richmond  held  her  revels.  Little 
guessed  the  majority  of  the  fair  and  the  brave  who  met  that  night 
under  her  Grace's  auspices,  that  before  another  sun  should  have 
risen  and  set,  the  dance  of  life  would  by  many  be  ended. 

The  reserve  of  the  Anglo-Belgian  army,  consisting  of  the  5th 
and  Gth  English  divisions,  under  Sir  Thomas  Picton  and  Sir 
Lowry  Cole,  of  the  Brunswick  division,  under  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, and  the  contingent  of  the  Duke  of  Nassau,  under  Gen. 
Kriu'j,  occupied  quarters  in  and  around  Brussels.  One  brigade, 
indeed,  the  7th,  composed  of  the  2nd  battalions  25th,  37th,  anJ 
78th  regiments,  of  the  13th  Veteran  battalion,  a  foreign  battalion 
of  the  same  description  of  force,  and  the  2nd  garrison  battalion 
— in  all  3233  men — had  been  sent  to  garrison  the  various  for- 
tresses from  Mons  to  Ostend.  But  the  remainder,  with  its  artil- 
lery, amounting  in  all  to  nine  batteries,  filled  the  town,  or  oc- 
cupied the  villages  and  hamlets  adjacent  to  it,  Gen.  Kruse's 
Nassau  brigade  stretching  off  along  the  road  to  Louvain.  Among 
these  troops  were  three  Highland  regiments,  the  42nd,  79th,  and 
92nd,  which  we  stop  to  particularize — not  because  they  surpassed 
their  comrades  in  gallantry,  but  simply  on  accoufft  of  a  circum- 
stance, unimportant  in  itself,  which  seems  to  connect  them  more 
than  other  corps  with  the  transactions  of  this  memorable  night. 
The  Duchess  of  Richmond,  of  whose  ball  so  much  notice  has  been 
taken,  was  the  sister  of  the  late  and  last  Duke  of  Gordon.  The 
Duke  was  Colonel  of  the  92nd  regiment,  which,  because  it  had 
];ecn  raised  upon  his  estates,  was  called  the  Gordon  High- 
landers ;  and  the  Duchess  of  Richmond,  being  proud  of  her 
brother  and  of  her  country,  made  arrangements  for  exhibiting  to 
her  guests  that  night  a  perfect  specimen  of  the  Highland  fling. 


68  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  vm, 

With  this  view  she  caused  a  selection  to  be  made  from  among 
the  non-commissioned  officers  of  the  above-mentioned  corps.  no_t 
only  desiring  such  to  be  chosen  as  were  most  skilled  in  the  mys- 
teries of  that  national  dance,  but  making  a  particular  request 
that  all  should  be,  in  point  of  personal  appearance,  excellent 
specimens  of  their  race.  The  wishes  of  the  high-born  dame  were 
carefully  attended  to.  Preceded  by  their  pipers,  a  little  body  of 
Highlanders  marched  that  night  into  her  Grace's  hall,  of  whom 
it  is  not  too  much  to  assert,  that  Scotland  could  furnish  nothing- 
superior  to  them  ;  and  the  admirable  nature  of  their  performance 
in  reel,  strathspey,  and  sword  dance,  is  still  remembered  by  the 
fast-diminishing  few  who  survive  to  speak  of  it.  They  also,  like 
the  ladies  who  behold  them  and  admired,  were  little  aware  of 
the  brief  interval  which  should  elapse  ere  the  instruments  which 
then  stirred  then  in  the  game  would  cheer  them  to  the  battle. 
Indeed  there  were  but  few  in  that  bright  assembly  who  guessed 
that  danger  was  near  ;  and  they  who  knew  it  best,  including  the 
Duke  and  the  officers  of  his  personal  staff,  were  in  their  manner 
the  most  entirely  unembarrassed. 

It  had  been  hinted  to  the  Generals  of  division  and  brigade, 
that,  one  by  one,  as  the  night  drew  on,  they  should  take  their 
leave.  Orders  likewise  had  been  issued  to  the  troops  in  and 
around  Brussels  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  march  at  a 
moment's  notice  ;  and  the  consequence  was,  that  without  exactly 
anticipating  the  actual  course  of  events,  men  packed  their  knap- 
sacks, and  officers  arranged  their  baggage,  ere  they  lay  down.  By 
and  by  General  after  General  withdrew  from  the  Duchess's  party 
— 'Some  on  the*  plea  that  their  commands  were  far  away — others, 
because  duty  or  private  business  called  them.  The  Duke  re- 
mained till  a  late  hour,  and  returned  thanks  after  supper  for  the 
health  of  the  Prince  Regent,  which  was  proposed  by  the  Prince 
of  Orange.  He  soon  afterwards  retired,  and  the  company  broke 
up. 

There  might  have  been  one  hour's  quiet  in  the  streets  of  Brus- 
sels. The  rattle  of  carriages  was  over.  Light  after  light  had 
been  extinguished  in  chamber  and  in  hall,  and  sleep  seemed  to 
have  established  its  dominion  over  the  city,  when  a  bugle-call, 


CHAP,  viii.]  ALARM  AT  BRUSSELS.  G9 

heard  first  in  the  Place  d'Armes,  on  the  summit  of  the  Montagne 
du  Pare,  and  taken  up  and  echoed  back  through  various  quarters 
of  the  town,  roused  all  classes  of  people  in  a  moment.  From 
overy  window  in  the  place  heads  were  protruded,  and  a  thousand 
voices  desired  to  be  informed  if  anything  was  the  matter;  for 
though  they  put  the  idea  from  them,  few  had  lain  down  that  night 
altogether  free  from  uneasiness,  and  now  the  bugle's  warning  note 
.seemed  to  speak  to  their  excited  imaginations  of  an  enemjr  at  the 
gates.  Anxious,  therefore,  and  shrill  were  the  voices  which  de- 
manded to  be  informed  of  the  cause  of  this  interruption  to  their 
repose.  But  there  was  little  need  to  answer  them  in  words  :  the 
bugle  call  was  soon  followed  by  the  rolling  of  drums  and  the 
screaming  of  bagpipes.  By-and-by  regiments  were  seen,  by  the 
dim  light  of  the  stars,  to  muster  in  park,  square,  street,  and  alley 
— horses  neighed — guns  rumbled  over  the  causeways — drivers 
shouted — and  over  all  was  heard,  from  time  to  time,  the  short 
quick  word  of  command,  which  soldiers  best  love  to  hear,  and 
obey  with  the  greatest  promptitude.  The  reserve,  in  short,  was 
getting  under  arms,  each  brigade  at  its  appointed  alarm-post ;  and 
by-and-by,  one  after  another,  as  they  were  ready,  they  marched 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  forest  of  Soignics. 

Many  and  heart-rending  were  the  partings  which  occurred  at 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  June,  1815.  As  has 
already  been  stated,  Brussels  swarmed  at  that  time  with  visitors 
not  of  the  military  order  ;  and  the  wives  and  families  of  British 
soldiers  of  all  ranks  made  up  no  inconsiderable  part  of  its  popu- 
lation. They  heard  the  bugle  sound,  and  saw  their  husbands,  and 
fathers,  and  brothers  hurry  to  their  stations  with  feelings  such  as 
they  had  never  experienced  till  then.  They  had  heard  often 
enough  of  musteriug  for  the  conflict,  and  read,  when  the.carnage 
was  over,  long  lis'ts  of  killed  and  wounded  ;  but  on  former  occa- 
sions tho  scene  had  been  at  a  distance  from  them,  and  even  if  in- 
dividually interested  in  the  result  they  had  no  opportunity  of 
realizing  its  horrors.  Now  they  were  upon  the  spot,  clinging  to 
the  necks  of  those  dearest  to  them,  and  knowing  only  this — that 
a  battle  was  impending.  It  was  piteous  to  sec  and  agonizing  to 
listen  to  the  wild  tokens  of  their  alarm.  Many  a  woman,  cast  in 


70  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  vin. 

a  more  delicate  mould  than  for  tlie  most  part  gives  her  shape  to 
the  private  soldier's  wife,  refused  to  be  parted  from  her  husband 
or  her  brother,  and  marched  with  him.  One  in  particular — a 
bride  of  two  months — threw  herself  on  horseback,  and  rode  on 
the  flank  of  the  regiment ;  and  yet  she  was  a  fair,  fragile  girl, 
who,  under  any  other  circumstances,  would  have  shrunk  with  hor- 
ror from  such  an  undertaking.  That  was  a  night  never  to  be 
forgotten  by  such  as  witnessed  the  strange  occurrences  which 
marked  its  progress.  All  thought,  all  feeling  seemed,  among  the 
non-combatants,  to  merge  and  lose  themselve3*ia  the  single  idea 
of  a  battle  at  hand ;  and  where  no  nobler  impulse  urged  to  acts 
of  self-sacrifice,  terror  appeared  to  deprive  them  of  their  senses. 

The  dawn  was  just  breaking  when  th.  loading  regiments  of  the 
reserve  filed  out  of  the  park  at  Brussels,  and  took  the  road  to 
Quatrc  Bras.  It  was  at  this  point  that  the  Duke  had  directed 
the  several  columns  of  his  army  to  concentrate,  and  towards  this 
same  point  he  himself  proceeded  about  seven  or  eight  o'clock. 
lie  was  in  the  highest  possible  spirits,  as  were  the  whole  of  the 
brilliant  staff  which  surrounded  him,  and  while  he  rode  along, 
regiments  and  brigades  cheered  him  as  he  passed.  The  Prince 
of  Orange  had  quitted  the  ball-room  about  the  same  time  with  the 
Duke,  but  he  made  straight  for  the  front.  He  reached  Nivelles 
at  six  ;  and  finding  that  Gen.  Perpouchcr  had  gone  onto  the  out- 
posts, and  that  a  smart  skirmish  prevailed  there,  he  put  the  troops 
which  occupied  the  town,  the  2nd  brigade  of  Perponcher's  divi- 
sion, in  movement,  and  closed  them  up  to  support  the  1st  brigade. 
The  occasion  which  rendered  the  operation  necessary  was  this: — • 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  blackness  in  the  advance  of  the 
French  throughout  the  early  part  of  the  morning  of  the  IGth  of 
June.  .The.  fact  is,  that  neither  was  Ney  acquainted  with  the 
troops  which  had  been  put  under  his  orders,  nor  had  time  been 
afforded  to  the  force  of  which  he  was  in  command  to  know  him. 
He  arrived  at  Charleroi  in  the  midst  of  the  operations  of  the 
loth,  destitute  of  baggage,  and  having  just  purchased  two  horses, 
on  which  he  was  able  to  mount  himself  and  his  first  aide-de-camp. 
He  knew  nothing  of  Napoleon's  plans — of  the  strength  of  the 
force  that  was  opposed  to  him,  or  of  the  nature  of  the  country  on 


CHAP.  viii.J  BLUCHER'S  POSITION  AT  L1GNY.  71 

which  he  was  suddenly  called  to  exhibit  his  capabilities  of  manoeu- 
vring troops  in  the  presence  of  an  enemy.  The  orders  under 
which  he  acted  seem,  moreover,  to  have  been  as  confused,  as  the 
disposition  of  his  corps  was  loose  and  imperfectly  defined.  Having 
remained  with  Napoleon  till  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  pro- 
ceeded, without  taking  rest,  to  Gosselies,  where  he  communicated 
with  Count  Reille  ;  and  by  employing  his  first  aide-de-camp,  Col. 
Heymes,  to  muster,  in  some  sense,  the  several  regiments,  he  ob- 
tained an  imperfect  knowledge  both  of  the  number  and  quality  of 
the  officers  and  soldiers  of  Reille's  corps,  of  which  he  had  been 
put  in  charge.  Beyond  this,  however,  he  could  not  go.  D'Erlon's 
corps  lay  still  at  Marchiennes-au-Popt  with  the  3rd  corps  of  heavy 
cavalry  under  Kellerman ;  and  though  Lefebvre-Dcsnouettes'  light 
cavalry  of  the  Guard,  which  had  been  provisionally  promised, 
was  nearer  at  hand,  he  could  not,  in  consequence  of  a  desire  from 
Napoleon  to  the  contrary,  make  use  of  it.  It  is  not,  therefore,  to 
be  wondered  at,  if,  instead  of  pressing  Prince  Bernhard  of  Saxe 
Weimer  at  early  dawn,  he  stood  for  some  hours  on  the  defensive. 
Indeed  it  was  Prince  Bernhard  who,  without  waiting  to  be  at- 
tacked, renewed  hostilities  as  soon  as  there  was  light ;  and  both 
Gen.  Perponcher  and  the  Prince  of  Orange,  finding  him  so  com- 
mitted, brought  up  all  the  reinforcements  at  their  disposal,  and 
gained  ground,  in  spite  of  a  sharp  resistance,  till  they  arrived 
within  a  mile  of  the  village  of  Frasne. 

About  eight  in  the  morning  the  Duke  of  Wellington  quitted 
Brussels.  About  eleven,  or  a  little  later,  he  reached  Quatre  Bras ; 
whence  he  closely  reconnoitred  the  enemy's  position,  and  satisfied 
himself  that  there  was  no  immediate  danger  from  the  side  of 
Frasne.  This  done,  and  having  left  directions  with  the  Prince 
of  Orange  as  to  the  points  of  halt  for  such  corps  as  might  arrive 
in  his  absence,  he  galloped  off-  to  communicate  in  person  with 
Field-Marshal  Prince  Blucher.  The  latter  had,  with  exceeding  « 
diligence  and  activity,  gathered  three  out  of  his  four  corps  into 
position.  He  occupied  a  chain  of  elevations,  rather  than  heights, 
which,  extending  from  Bry  on  the  right,  embraced  Sombref  in 
the  centre,  and  terminated  at  Tongrines.  The  advantage  of 
this  position  was.  that  it  covered  the  high  road  from  Nanuir  to 


72  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  vm. 

Nivelles  and  duatre  Bras,  at  the  points  where  the  roads  from 
Charleroi  and  Thuin  fall  in  with  it.  It  had  likewise  in  its  front 
the  rivulet  of  Ligny,  into  which  a  smaller  stream,  after  winding 
through  a  ravine,  falls  ;  with  several  villages,  especially  St.  Amand 
and  Ligny  itself,  standing  forward  as  outposts,  at  the  foot  of  the 
slope.  Its  disadvantages  were,  that  it  offered  no  security  to  the 
right ;  in  other  words,  to  that  flank  by  which  the  communications 
witE  the  English  were  to  be  kept  open ;  and  that  the  villages  in 
advance  were  too  far  removed  from  the  line  to  permit  of  their 
being  reinforced,  in  case  of  need,  except  at  great  hazard.  There, 
however,  Blucher  had  drawn  up  his  army ;  and  when  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  joined  him,  he  explained  the  dispositions  of  the  sev- 
eral corps  with  much  apparent  complacency.  The  Duke  is  said 
to  have  expressed,  with  characteristic  good  breeding,  yet  firmness, 
his  disapproval  of  Prince  Bliicher's  arrangements :  "  Every  man," 
(such  is  the  substance  of  the  words  which  the  Duke  is  said  to 
have  spoken,)  "  knows  his  own  people  best ;  but  I  can  only  say 
that,  with  a  British  army,  I  should  not  occupy  this  ground  as 
you  do."  Blucher,  however,  represented  that  his  countrymen 
liked  to  see  the'enemy  before  they  engaged  him ;  and  adhered  to 
the  opinion  that  St.  Amand  and  Ligny  were  the  keys  of  his  po- 
sition. And  tho  Duke  was  at  once  too  wise  and  too  much  under 
the  influence  of  a  right  feeling  'to  press  his  point. 

It  was  the  Duke's  desire  to  co-operate  with  Prince  Blucher 
actively  rather  than  passively.  He  saw  that  against  the  lattci 
the  main  strength  of  the  French  army  would  be  carried,  and  he 
proposed  to  advance  as  soon  as  he  should  have  concentrated 
force  enough,  upon  Frasne  and  Gosselies,  and  to  fall  upon  the 
enemy's  rear.  But  this,  which  would  have  been  both  a  prac- 
ticable and  a  judicious  movement,  had  his  Grace  received  intima- 
tion of  the  French  attack  in  good  time,  was  now  well  nigh  im 
^possible.  It  was  idle  to  expect  that  Napoleon  would  delay  his 
onward  movement  long  enough  to  permit  the  concentration  at 
Quatre  Bras  of  such  a  force  as  would  authorize  an  aggressive  ope- 
ration ;  and  a  project,  admirable  in  itself,  was  at  once  abandoned. 
and  an  arrangement  made,  that  by  the  Namur  road  the  Allies 
tihould  support  one  another.  It  is  said  that  the  Duke,  as  he  can 


CHAP,  ix.]  BATTLE  OP  QUATRE  BRAS.  73 

tered  back  to  his  own  ground,  turned  to  a  staff  officer  deeply  in 
Lis  confidence,  and  said,  "  Now  mark  my  words :  the  Prussians 
will  make  a  gallant  fight ;  for  they  are  capital  troops,  and  well 
commanded ;  but  they  will  be  beaten.  I  defy  any  army  not  to 
be  beaten  placed  as  they  are,  if  the  force  that  attacks  be  such  as 
I  suppose  the  French  under  Bonaparte  are." 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Battle  of  Quatrc  Bras. 

THE  outposts  of  the  Anglo-Belgian  army  held  their  ground  in 
front  of  Frasne,  almost  without  firing  a  shot,  from  seven  in  the 
morning  till  two  in  the  afternoon.  The  Prince  of  Orange,  who 
commanded  them,  saw,  indeed,  that  the  enemy's  force  was  accu- 
mulating from  hour  to  hour ;  and  cast  many  an  anxious  look 
behind,  for  the  support  which  he  knew  to  be  on  its  march.  But 
none  arrived ;  and  he  therefore  made  the  best  dispositions  which 
circumstances  would  admit  of,  to  impede  the  progress  of  an  onset 
which  might  momentarily  be  expected.  His  object  was  to  retain 
possession  of  the  Quatre  Bras — in  other  words  of  the  point  where 
the  four  roads  to  Nainur,  Nivelles,  Charlcroi,  and  Brussels  cross ; 
and  with  this  view  he  took  up  a  position  in  front  of  the  village, 
and  as  near  to  Frasne  as  was  consistent  with  a  due  regard  for  his 
own  safety.  Two  guns,  with  a  howitzer,  were  planted  upon  the 
Charlcroi  road ;  another  gun,  with  a  howitzer,  a  little  to  the  right 
of  it ;  and  three  more  guns  on  the  Namur  road.  This  disposition 
exhausted  General  Pcrponcher's  divisional  horse  artillery,  and 
left  but  six  guns  and  two  howitzers  of  the  foot  artillery  disposable. 
Four  of  these,  with  the  howitzers,  were  disposed  in  a  second  line, 
immediately  in  advance  of  Quatre  Bras.  The  remaining  two 
were  thrown  out,  so  as  to  give  support  to  the  Prince's  first  line  of 
infantry ;  and  finally,  he  made  arrangements,  in  case  of  being 

4 


74  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  ix. 

forced  back  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Frasne,  to  occupy  in 
strength  the  farm  of  Gemioncourt,  and  the  inclosures  of  Piermont, 
both  to  his  left  of  the  Charleroi  road,  and  the  wood  of  Bossu  on 
the  right ;  and  to  keep  his  ground  there  to  the  last  extremity. 
The  whole  strength  of  the  corps  which  he  thus  arranged  in  order 
of  battle  was  6832  infantry,  with  16  pieces  of  cannon. 

While  the  Prince  of  Orange  was  thus  putting  himself  in  an 
attitude  of  defence,  Ney,  to  whom  on  the  previous  day  Napoleon 
had  given  the  command  of  two  infantry,  with  an  equal  number 
of  cavalry  corps,  seems,  by  some  mismanagement  or  another,  to 
have  been  paralyzed.  One  corps,  that  of  Reille,  was  tolerably 
well  in  hand,  and  Pire's  light  cavalry  were  manageable ;  but 
D'Erlon  was  far  in  the  rear ;  and  Kellermann's  horsemen  seemed, 
by  orders  from  a  higher  quarter,  to  be  kept  irresolute.  D'Erlon's 
corps,  indeed,  never  succeeded  in  getting  into  line ;  and  even  of 
Keille's  four  divisions  one  was  unexpectedly  withdrawn.  Ney 
complains  bitterly  of  these  things,  in  a  letter  dated  at  Paris  so 
early  as  the  26th  of  June,  1815  ;  and  the  substance  of  the  charge 
against  his  Imperial  Master  is  fully  borne  out  by  the  testimony 
of  his  opponents.  The  fact  appears  to  be,  that  Napoleon  finding 
a  stouter  resistance  from  the  Prussians  than  he  had  anticipated, 
arrested  the  march  of  D'Erlon's  corps  from  Marchienne  to  Quatre 
Bras,  and  turned  it  towards  St.  Amand.  Neither  this  force  nor 
Gen.  Girard's  division,  in  like  manner  abstracted  from  Ncy's 
corps,  arrived  in  time  to  do  any  good  service  against  Blflchcr : 
but  both  were  withdrawn  from  the  service  to  which  they  had 
been  allotted,  and  so,  to  use  the  expressive  words  of  the  brave, 
but  unfortunate  soldier,  whom  Napoleon  did  not  scruple  twice  to 
sacrifice,  "  Twenty-five  or  thirty  thousand  men  were.  I  may  say, 
paralyzed  ;  and  were  idly  paraded,  during  the  whole  of  the  battle, 
from  the  right  to  the  left,  and  from  the  left  to  the  right,  without 
firing  a  shot." 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  day,  or  a  little  earlier.  Ney  counted  upon 
being  immediately  joined  by  D'Erlon  and  Kellcrmann.  He  had 
communicated  with  both  generals  more  than  once,  and  satisfied 
them  of  what  he  believed  to  be  Napoleon's  intentions.  Indeed, 
his  last  orders  required,  that  without  further  delay  they  should 


CHAP,  ix.]  BATTLE  OF  QUATRE  BRAS.  73 

close  up,  and  cover  by  their  formations  the  attack  which  he  was 
about  to  make  on  the  Brussels  road.  For  this  latter  service  he 
had  set  apart  three  divisions  of  lleille's  corps  amounting  to  15,750 
men,  with  1865  of  Fire's  light  cavalry,  and  four  batteries  of  foot 
and  one  of  horse  artillery, — in  all  38  pieces  of  cannon. — and 
with  these  he  now  advanced,  in  formidable  array,  against  the 
Prince  of  Orange.  As  was  to  be  expected  from  the  great  dis- 
parity of  numbers,  the  first  attacks  of  the  French  were  every- 
where successful.  The  Prince  of  Orange  fell  back  upon  the 
position  which  he  had  selected  in  front  of  Quatre  Bras,  and  there 
maintained  himself  for  a  while  with  considerable  bravery.  But 
first  the  village  of  Piermont,  and  then  the  farm  of  Gemioncourt, 
were,  after  a  respectable  resistance,  carried,  and  the  wood  of 
Bossu  alone  afforded  cover  to  the  troops  which  fought  for  tho 
junction  of  the  four  roads.  It  was  now,  when  the  hearts  of  tho 
Belgians  were  failing  them,  and  their  gallant  leader  felt  tho 
critical  nature  of  his  position,  that  the  apparition  of  a  dark  red 
mass  moving  over  the  high  grounds  that  look  down  upon  Quatre 
Bras  operated  on  all  who  beheld  it  like  magic.  This  was  the 
5th  division,  with  Sir  Thomas  Picton  at  its  head,  and  consisted 
of  two  British  brigades,  the  8th  and  9th,  the  former  under  Sir 
James  Kempt,  the  latter  under  Sir  Dennis  Pack,  with  one  bri- 
gade of  Hanoverians — the  4th — of  which  Col.  Best  had  the 
charge.  Moreover,  there  accompanied  these  stout  footmen  two 
batteries  of  artillery, — one  Hanoverian,  under  Capt.  Von  Ritt- 
berg,  the  other  English,  under  Major  Rogers ;  and  the  whole  de- 
filing by  the  Namur  road,  drew  up  in  two  lines,  the  British  bri- 
gades forming  in  front,  the  Hanoverians  in  reserve. 

The  brigade  of  Pack  consisted  of  the  1st  battalion  42nd,  2nd 
44th,  1st  92nd,  and  1st  95th;  that  of  Kempt  comprised  the  1st 
28th,  1st  32nd,  1st  79th,  and  3rd  1st  Iloyals.  The  4th  Hano- 
verian brigade  (Col.  Best's — out  of  its  proper  place,  as  it  con- 
tinued to  be  to  the  end  of  the  operations)  consisted  of  four  Land- 
wehr  battalions,  each  mustering  on  an  average  about  650  bayo- 
nets. They  had  scarcely  effected  their  formations  when  the  Duke 
of  Brunswick's  corps  arrived, — not  complete,  for  neither  the  ar- 
lillery  nor  the  1st  and  2nd  light  battalions  had  joined,  but  iu 


76  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  ix. 

sufficient  force  to  render  less  oppressive  the  inequality  which  had 
heretofore  prevailed  between  the  combatants.  Indeed,  in  point 
of  more  numbers  the  Duke  was  now  superior  to  his  adversary ;  for 
he  had  in  the  field  about  18,000  infantry,  2000  cavalry,  and  28 
guns.  But,  when  the  composition  of  the  respective  corps  is  taken 
into  account,  the  advantage  thence  arising  will  be  found  to  have 
been  less  than  nothing ;  for  no  reliance  whatever  could  be  placed 
on  any  except  his  British  and  German  soldiers,  and  these,  when 
computed  together,  amounted  to  scarce  8000  men  at  the  utmost. 
The  cavalry,  in  particular,  proved  in  the  hour  of  need  utterly 
worthless.  The  men  were  young  and  inexperienced,  and  the 
horses  no  match  for  the  animals  on  which  Pire's  troopers  were 
mounted  ;  nevertheless,  the  mere  show  of  columns  is  not  without 
its  effect,  especially  at  the  outset  of  a  battle ;  and  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  lost  no  time  in  making  the  most  of  his. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  French,  after  a  trifling 
resistance,  made  themselves  masters  of  Piermont,  Gemioncourt, 
and  of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  wood  of  Bossu.  They  had 
even  pushed  forward  a  cloud  of  skirmishers  into  a  small  thicket 
which  lay  in  advance  of  Piermont,  and  gained  by  so  doing  mo- 
mentary possession  of  the  Namur  roaJ.  Indeed,  their  position 
was  at  this  moment  such  as  to  hold  out  the  best  promise  of  ulti- 
mate success ;  nor,  perhaps,  shall  we  go  beyond  the  line  of  prob- 
bility  if  we  acknowledge,  that  had  D'Erlon's  corps  been  where 
Ney  expected  it  to  be,  the  left  of  the  Allies  must  have  been  very 
roughly  handled,  if  not  doubled  up.  But  D'Erlon  was  not  where 
Ney  had  desired  him  to  be,  and"  the  Duke  saw  too  clearly  the 
importance  of  maintaining  or  recovering  the  command  of  the 
Namur  road  to  hesitate  as  to  the  course  which  it  behooved  him  tc 
follow.  The  1st  battalion  95th  regiment  was  instantly  moved  in 
the  direction  of  Piermont.  These  gallant  riflemen  did  not  get 
BO  far,  for  Piermont  was  well  secured ;  but  they  drove  out  the 
light  troops  which  had  entered  the  wood  in  advance  of  it,  and 
fully  restored  the  communication  between  Quatre  Bras  and 
Ligny.  Meanwhile  Ney  was  not  slack  to  make  use  of  the  advan- 
tages which  he  had  won.  His  right  was  still  safe,  though  less 
movable  than  he  could  have  wished  ;  his  left  was  equally  secure 


CHAP.  ix.J  BATTLE  OF  QUATRE  BRAS. 

in  the  wood  of  Bossu  ;  and  his  centre  found  a  strong  point 
in  Gemioncourt,  within  pistol  shot  of  the  Charleroi  road  ;  more- 
over, the  whole  front  of  his  position  was  covered  by  a  double 
hedgerow,  so  disposed  as  to  afford  admirable  shelter  to  his  skir- 
mishers ;  while  a  succession  of  heights  in  rear  of  Gemioncourt, 
offered  just  spch  a  plateau  for  his  artillery  as  would  best  enable  it 
to  sweep  the  English  position,  and  to  cover  the  formation  of  his 
columns  of  attack,  in  whatever  direction  he  might  prefer  to  send 
them  on. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington  returned  from  his  conference  with 
Blucher  just  before  the  arrival  of  Picton's  division.  He  closely 
reconnoitred  the  enemy's  position,  and  detected  the  formation  of 
a  heavy  column  in  rear  of  the  wood  of  Bossu,  which  had  not  been 
observed  by  any  one  except  himself.  He  instantly  directed  the 
Prince  of  Orange  to  withdraw  the  guns  which  stood  exposed  on 
the  road,  and  to  gather  in  the  Dutch-Belgian  infantry,  which  were 
scattered  somewhat  loosely  on  either  side  of  them.  These  move- 
ments were  hardly  effected  when  the  storm  burst  which  swept  the 
5th  regiment  of  Dutch  militia  out  of  Gemioncourt,  and  forced 
the  defenders  of  the  wood  on  its  right  to  give  ground  in  all  di- 
rections. Meanwhile  the  Duke  galloped  off  towards  the  Namur 
road,  where  he  personally  superintended  the  distribution  of  Pic- 
ton's  division.  One  regiment,  the  28th,  proceeded  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  5th  Dutch  militia ;  but,  arriving  too  late  to  secure  the 
farm,  it  returned  to  its  place  in  the  brigade.  The  remainder, 
with  the  exception  of  the  1st  battalion  rifle  corps,  formed  line  in 
front  of  the  Namur  road  ;  and,  under  a  furious  cannonade  from 
the  high  grounds  in  the  French  position,  waited  further  orders. 

These  formations  were  yet  in  progress  when  the  Duke  of 
Brunswick's  corps  arrived,  of  which  one  battalion  was  sent  forth- 
with to  support  the  95th.  They  did  their  duty  well,  and  ably 
seconded  their  English  comrades  in  repelling  every  attack  that 
was  made  upon  the  thicket  into  which  they  were  thrown.  But 
the  wood  of  Bossu  on  the  Allied  right  was  all  this  while  in  great 
danger.  Though  crowded  with  Dutch-Belgians,  the  continued 
inclination  of  the  fire  towards  the  rear  proved  that  they  were  not 
a  match  for  the  French  tiralleurs ;  and  two  rifle  companies,  de 


78  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  ix. 

tached  from  the  Duke  of  Brunswick's  corps,  were  sent  in  conse 
quence  to  reinforce  them.  Some  cavalry  were  at  the  same  time 
thrown  beyond  the  wood,  to  watch  what  the  French  might  be 
doing  in  that  direction  ;  and  the  remainder  formed  line  in  sup- 
port of  Picton's  division,  as  a  measure  preparatory  to  such  an 
ultimate  disposition  as  circumstances  might  require 

The  French  batteries  from  the  heights  above  Gemioncourt  kept 
up  an  incessant  and  a  destructive  fire.  They  were  so  placed  that 
the  guns  of  the  Allies  could  reply  to  them  but  imperfectly  ;  and 
the  enemy  aware  of  the  advantages  thus  insured  to  them,  pre- 
pared, under  cover  of  this  iron  hail,  to  play  for  a  richer  prize. 
Clouds  of  skirmishers  rushing  through  the  hedgerows,  and  steal- 
ing beyond  the  thickets  and  woods  by  which  the  road  was  skirted, 
warned  the  Duke  of  Wellington  that  a  column  was  about  to  ad- 
vance, whereupon  he  directed  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  to  move 
with  a  portion  of  his  corps,  and  to  interpose  himself  between 
Gemioncourt  and  Quatre  Bras,  with  his  left  resting  upon  the  road. 
At  the  same  time  the  light  companies  of  Picton's  division  sprang 
forward,  and  lined  every  hedge,  bank,  and  tree  that  seemed  to 
offer  shelter ;  and  the  sharp,  quick,  and  reverberating  sound, 
which  tells  when  light  troops  are  engaged,  rang  with  a  ceaseless 
clamor  throughout  the  valley. 

The  skirmish  was  hot,  and  the  Duke,  who  watched  it  narrowly, 
saw  the  head  of  an  enormous  column  moving  down  the  road  from 
Gemioncourt.  He  observed,  likewise,  that  when  it  arrived  at  a 
certain  point  it  broke  up  into  several  columns  of  attack  ;  and  that 
the  French  tiralleurs,  encouraged  by  the  approach  of  their  com- 
rades, were  gaining  ground  continually.  The  Duke  had  no  great 
confidence  in  the  steadiness  even  of  the  Brunswickers.  Their 
natural  bravery  could  not  be  questioned,  but  they  were  deficient 
ki  experience  ;  and,  having  come  but  recently  into  connection  with 
their  English  and  Belgian  allies,  it  was  hardly  to  be  expected  that 
they  should  know  how  far  to  trust  them.  Instead,  therefore,  of 
leaving  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  to  offer  such  resistance  as  ho 
might,  and  to  retire  when  overpowered  upon  his  supports,  he  di- 
rected the  two  brigades  of  Picton's  division  to  advance,  and  to 
meet  the  assailants  half  way.  Nothing  could  better  accord  with 


CHAP.  ix.J  BATTLE  OF  QUATRE  BRAS.  79 

the  fiery  temper  of  Picton.  He  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his 
division ;  he  told  them  that ':  there  was  the  enemy,  and  they  must 
beat  him ;"  and  the  troops  answered  with  such  a  cheer  as  left  no 
room  for  doubt  in  their  commander's  mind  respecting  the  issue. 
On  they  went,  leaving  the  92nd  in  reserve  to  keep  the  Namur 
road,  and  to  provide  against  accidents ;  and  the  skirmishers  run- 
ning in,  and  forming  on  their  proper  flanks  of  each  battalion,  the 
fight  soon  became,  what  throughout  the  modern  wars  of  the  two 
nations  it  has  always  been,  a  contest  of  lines  against  columns. 
The  lines,  as  usual,  prevailed.  Overlapped,  and  cut  down  by  a 
volume  of  fire  on  three  sides,  each  of  the  formidable  bodies  before 
which  the  skirmisher's  had  given  way,  broke  and  fled  ;  and  the 
British  regiments  charging  with  the  bayonet  drove  the  enemy 
beyond  the  hedge-rows,  and  were  with  some  difficulty  restrained 
from  following  them  up  the  face  of  the  opposite  heights. 

Meanwhile  the  Brunswick  corps,  which  had  taken  an  advanced 
position  on  the  right  of  the  road,  was  not  left  to  lean  idly  on  its 
arms.  A  French  battery  commanded  the  plain,  and  the  casu- 
alties occasioned  by  its  wcll-direoted  fire  were  numerous.  A 
regiment  of  hussars  especially,  young  troops  and  wholly  unac- 
customed to  war,  suffered  severely ;  and  every  soldier  knows  that 
there  is  nothing  so  harassing  to  troops  brought  for  the  first  time 
under  fire,  as  a  sharp  cannonade.  Nothing  indeed,  except  the 
perfect  coolness  of  their  chief,  kept  these  recruits  in  their  places. 
The  Duke  of  Brunswick  rode  backwards  and  forwards  in  front  of 
them,  smoking  his  pipe,  and  chatting  to  men  and  officers  as  if 
they  had  been  on  an  ordinary  parade,  and  men  and  officers  were 
alike  ashamed  to  shrink  from  dangers  which  their  sovereign  faced 
so  composedly.  But  even  the  Duke's  patience  gave  way  at  last. 
He  sent  to  the  Commander-iu-Chief  for  guns,  and  four  pieces  were 
moved  up  to  his  support.  These  opened  their  fire,  but  wero  so 
completely  overmatched,  that  in  five  minutes  two  were  disabled 
and  the  other  two  silenced,  after  which  two  columns  of  infantry, 
preceded  by  a  battalion  in  line,  advanced  along  the  edge  of  the 
wood,  while  an  enormous  mass  of  cavalry  crowded  the  great  road 
and  threatened  the  Brunswickcrs  with  destruction.  The  Bruns- 
wick skirmishers,  as  well  as  the  Dutch-Belgian  infantry,  fell  back 


80  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF   WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  ix. 

as  these  columns  advanced.  The  Duke  of  Brunswick  sent  off  his 
hussars  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  and  putting  himself  at  the 
head  of  a  regiment  of  lancers,  charged  the  French  infantry  ;  but 
these  received  him  with  such  a  steady  front  that  no  impression 
was  made,  and  the  lancers  retreated  in  confusion  on  Quatre  Eras. 
The  Duke,  perceiving  that  the  enemy  was  too  strong  for  him, 
desired  his  infantry  to  fall  back  in  good  order  upon  the  same  point. 
They  tried  to  do  so,  but  failed ;  for  the  French  artillery  struck 
with  terrible  effect  among  them,  and  the  tirailleurs  closing  in, 
supported  by  clouds  of  cavalry,  the  young  troops  so  assailed  lost 
all  self-possession  and  broke.  They  fled  in  confusion,  some  by 
Quatre  Bras,  others  right  through  the  English  regiments  which 
had  formed  on  the  left  of  it ;  and  all  the  Duke's  exertions  to  stay 
them  failed.  It  was  at  this  moment  that  the  gallant  Duke  of 
Brunswick,  while  striving  to  arrest  the  flight  of  one  of  his  regi- 
ments of  infantry,  received  the  fatal  shot  which  terminated  his 
existence.  He  fell  from  his  horse,  and  Major  von  Wachholtz,  the 
only  officer  of  his  staff  who  was  near,  caused  him  instantly  to  be 
carried  to  the  rear  and  laid  down  in  a  field  while  search  was  made 
for  a  surgeon.  None,  however,  could  be  found,  while  the  deadly 
paleness  of  the  gallant  soldier's  countenance  told  that  life  was 
ebbing,  though  the  glazing  eye  still  retained  some  traces  of  its 
natural  expression.  He  asked  for  water,  but  there  was  no  water 
at  hand.  He  then  desired  that  Col.  Olfermann,  his  second  in 
command,  might  be  sent  for  ;  but  before  this  officer  could  arrive 
the  continued  advance  of  the  enemy  compelled  his  removal  still 
farther  to  the  rear.  At  last  a  staff-surgeon  came  to  him,  but  it 
was  too  late.  A  musket-ball,  entering  his  right  wrist,  had  passed 
diagonally  through  his  body,  and  its  course  was  such  as  to  set  all 
surgical  skill  at  defiance.  In  the  forty-fourth  year  of  his  age  the 
Duke  of  Brunswick  died,  as  his  father,  on  the  fatal  field  of  Jena, 
had  died  before  him. 

At  this  juncture  the  Brunswick  hussars  were  ordered  to  advance 
from  the  left  of  the  road,  and  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  infantry. 
They  saw  in  front  of  them  a  mass  of  French  lancers,  and  as  they 
moved  to  meet  them  a  straggling  fire  of  musketry  somewhat  dis- 
ordered their  ranks.  It  is  not  improbable  that,  young  and  incx- 


CHAP,  ix.]  BATTLE  OP  QUATRE  BRAS.  81 

perienced  as  they  were,  they  could  not  succeed  in  recovering  from 
that  momentary  confusion.  But  however  this  may  be,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  they  never  so  much  as  closed  with  the  enemy,  but  turned 
and  fled  pell-mell  ere  a  single  blow  was  struck  on  either  side. 
The  French  lancers  pursued  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  so  closely 
were  the  two  bodies  mixed  together,  that  two  British  regiments, 
the  42nd  and  44th,  which  stood  in  line  on  the  left  of  the  road, 
could  not  for  a  moment  distinguish  between  friend  and  foe.  The 
consequence  was  a  furious  charge  upon  both,  in  seeking  to  repel 
which  the  42nd  had  not  time  to  form  square,  and  therefore  suf- 
fered severely.  The  44th,  on  the  .other  hand,  of  which  Lieut. 
Col.  Hammerton  was  at  the  head,  never  attempted  to  form  square 
at  all ;  but  facing  its  rear  rank  round,  received  the  French  cavalry 
with  a  volley,  which  was  taken  up  by  the  front  rank  as  the  horse- 
men swept  forward,  and  completed  by  the  light  company,  which 
had  reserved  its  fire,  and  gave  it  as  the  wreck  from  the  leaden 
storm  reeled  back  beyond  it.  The  42nd  behaved,  as  it  has  alwa}rs 
done,  with  exceeding  bravery  and  coolness.  Notwithstanding  that 
two  companies  were  cut  off,  and  a  body  of  lancers  penetrated,  into 
the  interval,  the  square  formed  itself  about  them  and  destroyed 
them  to  a  man.  The  44th,  in  a  feeble  line  of  two  deep,  proved, 
that  if  a  regiment  of  British  infantry  be  but  steady  and  well 
commanded,  it  is  in  any  order  of  formation  beyond  the  reach  of 
hurt  from  an  enemy's  cavalry. 

4* 


82  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.        [CHAP.  x. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Battle  of  Quatre  Bras — continued. 

No  battle  occurs,  even  in  modern  times,  without  affording  to  in- 
dividuals the  opportunity  of  exhibiting  such  feats  of  heroism  as 
the  un-military  reader  is  apt  to  attribute  only  to  the  heroes  of 
romance.  The  resistance  offered  by  the  2nd  battalion  44th  regi- 
ment to  a  charge  of  lancers  on  the  memorable  16th  of  June,  may 
well  be  set  in  opposition  to  any  short-comings  with  which,  on 
other  occasions  and  in  other  lands,  the  1st  battalion  of  the  same 
regiment  has  unfortunately  been  charged  ;  and  the  self-devotion 
of  one  of  its  young  officers  deserves  to  be  held  in  everlasting  re- 
membrance. They  who  know  how  the  colors  of  a  regiment,  too 
numerous  in  our  service,  are  habitually  planted,  will  perfectly 
understand  that  in  an  encounter  so  conducted  as  that  which  has 
been  described,  they  are  eminently  in  danger  of  being  taken. 
The  enemy,  in  the  present  instance,  saw  their  exposure,  and 
dashed,  as  was  to  be  expected,  against  them.  Many  French 
troopers  directed  their  horses  right  upon  the  point  where  the 
standards  of  the  44th  were  waving ;  and  one  more  venturous  than 
the  rest,  bore  down  upon  Ensign  Christie,  who  carried  one  of 
them.  The  point  of  his  lance  entered  the  young  man's  eye,  and 
penetrated  to  the  lower  jaw.  True  to  his  trust,  the  gallant  fellow, 
amid  the  agony  of  his  wound,  thought  only  of  the  honor  of  his 
corps.  He  fell,  but  took  care  to  fall  upon  the  standard,  a  small 
portion  of  which  his  enemy  tore  off  with  his  weapon  ;  but  the 
standard  was  saved,  and  the  brave  Frenchman  paid  with  his  life 
the  forfeit  of  the  attempt  on  which  he  had  adventured.  He  was 
bayoneted  and  shot  by  the  men  who  stood  on  th'e  right  and  left 
of  their  officer  ;  and  not  even  the  shred  of  silk,  which  he  lifted 
from  the  ground,  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  enemy.  It 
went  back  with  the  heroes  who  had  saved  it,  and  remains,  if  he 


CHAP,  x.]  BATTLE  OF  Q.UATRE  BRAS.  S3 

still  survive,  with  Major-Gen.  O'Malley,  C.B.,  who,  on  the  fall  of 
CoL  Hammerton,  had  that  day  the  good  fortune  to  assume  the 
command  of  the  corps. 

Meanwhile  the  column  of  cavalry,  from  which  this  regiment 
of  lancers  had  been  detached,  held  its  course  right  down  the 
Charleroi  road :  it  hung  upon  the  rear  of  the  Brunswick  hussars, 
among  whom,  in  his  endeavor  to  rally  them,  the  Duke  of  Wei 
lington  got  involved,  and  penetrated  to  the  very  edge  of  a  ditch, 
within  which  the  92nd  Highlanders  were  lying.  The  Duke  had 
nothing  for  it  but  to  put  his  horse  to  its  speed,  and  calling  to  tho 
92nd  to  lie  down,  leaped  fairly  over  them  and  across  the  ditch 
which  constituted  their  post  of  resistance.  He  had  his  sword 
drawn  in  his  band,  and  turned  round  as  soon  as  the  Highlanders 
were  between  him  and  his  pursuers  with  a  smile  upon  his  coun- 
tenance. The  confidence  which  inspired  it  was  not  misplaced  ; 
such  a  volume  of  fire  rose  instantly  from  the  roadside  that  a 
hundred  saddles  were  emptied,  and  the  residue  of  the  cavalry 
shrank  back — re-forming,  however,  in  a  moment,  and  retiring  in 
good  order.  But  all  were  not  so  prudent  as  to  adopt  this  course. 
The  leading  squadrons  galloped  on  till  they  got  entangled  among 
the  farmsteads  of  the  village ;  and  though  they  cut  down  some 
stragglers  there,  they  paid  dearly  for  their  rashness.  Most  of 
them  rushed  into  a  farm-yard,  which  had  no  outlet  except  that  by 
which  they  had  entered ;  to  a  man  they  were  destroyed  by  the 
fire  of  the  Highlanders,  and  the  scattered  individuals  who  en- 
deavored to  cut  their  way  back  died,  one  by  one,  under  the  same 
leaden  tempest.  An  officer  named  Burgoine  dashed  at  the  Duke 
himself ;  his  horse  was  shot,  and  a  musket-ball  passed  through 
both  of  his  ankles.  And  such  are  the  casualties  of  war,  that  he 
lay  for  weeks  in  the  same  house  where  Lieut.  Winchester  of  the 
92nd  also  lay  wounded ;  and  thus  the  two  brave  men  became  per- 
sonal friends,  Mr.  Winchester  subsequently  being  the  guest  of 
M.  Burgoine's  family  in  Paris. 

While  these  things  were  going  on,  both  sides  received  by  de- 
grees reinforcements,  of  which  both  were  grievously  in  want.  A 
considerable  portion  of  Kellcrmann's  heavy  horse  came  into  the 
field,  and  as  neither  the  Belgian  nor  the  Dutch  cavalry  could  face 


84  STORY  OF  THE   BATTLE  OF   WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  x. 

them,  the  whole  weight  of  their  fury  fell  upon  the  British  infan- 
try. The  28th,  the  42nd,  the  44th,  and  the  Royals  were  all 
repeatedly  charged  in  succession.  Indeed,  the  Royals  and  the 
28th  did  not  wait  to  be  attacked,  but  advanced  in  column,  led  on 
by  Picton  and  Kempt,  and  themselves,  contrary  to  all  precedent 
in  war,  attacked  the  cavalry.  This  was  rendered  necessary  by 
the  flight  of  the  Belgian  infantry,  who,  driven  from  the  wood  of 
Bossu,  could  not  be  rallied,  and  whose  flight  exposed  the  42nd 
and  44th  to  be  taken  in  flank  and  overwhelmed.  Moreover,  the 
hardy  footmen  had  a  twofold  disadvantage  to  cope  with,  inasmuch 
as  the  ground  where  they  stood  was  covered  with  tall  rye,  under 
cover  of  which  the  French  cavalry  made  upon  them  continually, 
before  they  could  tell,  except  from  the  heavy  tread  of  the  horses' 
hoofs,  that  any  enemy  was  near.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
Picton,  who  was  present  with  the  28th,  appealed  to  the  steady 
courage  of  his  men  through  a  watch-word,  of  the  value  of  which 
only  they  who  know  what  war  is  can  tell  the  importance.  As  the 
cuirassiers  were  rushing  on  he  shouted,  with  a  stentorian  voice, 
"  28th,  remember  Egypt !"  and  the  men,  few  of  whom  knew 
aught  of  the  exploits  of  the  regiment  there,  except  by  tradition, 
received  the  omen  and  replied  to  it  with  a  cheer.  Not  a  horse- 
man broke  through  their  ranks  ;  and  though  the  cavalry — not  less 
resolute  than  their  adversaries — actually  pitched  a  lance  among 
the  rye,  and  galloped  at  it  repeatedly,  as  at  a  sign-post,  they  were 
on  each  occasion  received  with  such  steadiness,  and  with  so 
murderous  a  fire,  that  they  recoiled  from  before  it.  Nor  were 
the  other  corps  engaged  one  whit  less  steady  or  less  resolute. 
The  32nd,  the  79th,  the  95th — every  British  soldier,  in  short, 
fought  that  day  as  if  upon  the  wielding  of  his  single  arm,  the 
fate  of  the  campaign  depended.  It  would  weary  the  reader  to 
be  told,  it  defies  the  utmost  powers  of  the  writer  to  tell,  how 
fiercely  the  British  troops  were  attacked,  how  resolutely  they  re- 
ceived their  assailants ;  though  the  face  of  the  country,  covered 
with  dead  and  dying,  bore  testimony  to  the  desperate  valor  of 
both  parties. 

It  was  now  five  o'clock,  and  the  French,  though  baffled  in  all 
their  endeavors,  seemed  as  little  disposed  as  ever  to  relax  in  their 


x.]        BATTLE  OP  QUATRE  BRAS.  85 

exertions.  More  cavalry  had  joined  them  ;  and  in  this  arm  the 
Allies  were  so  miserably  weak,  that  in  spite  of  the  heroism  which 
they  displayed,  they  had,  upon  the  whole,  lost  rather  than  gained 
ground.  The  enemy  now  brought  forward  their  infantry  in  force, 
ana1  made  such  progress  through  the  wood  of  Bossu,  that  there 
appeared  every  probability  of  their  debouching  on  the  flank  of 
the  Allied  position,  which  the  Dutch-Belgians  no  longer  at- 
tempted to  cover.  It  was  evident,  likewise,  that  a  reinforcement 
of  artillery  had  reached  them  ;  for  the  cannonade  from  the  high 
grounds  became  more  murderous  than  ever,  and  several  pieces 
were  advanced  into  the  hollow,  whence  they  wrought  terrible  havoc 
•among  the  squares  which  they  succeeded  in  enfilading.  Well  it 
was  that,  at  this  moment,  Gen.  Alton's  division  came  up  by  the 
Nivelics  road,  and  separated,  Halket's  British  brigade  advancing 
along  the  space  between  the  wood  of  Bossu  and  the  Charleroi 
causeway,  while  Kielmansegge's  Hanoverians  took  ground  to  the 
left,  and  supported,  and  in  some  measure  relieved,  the  regiments 
which  in  that  direction  had  well  nigh  expended  their  ammunition. 
Ney  saw  these  troops  enter  into  the  battle,  and  sent  urgent  orders 
for  D'Erlon's  corps  to  close  up  ;  and,  confident  in  the  belief  that 
these  would  not  be  slighted,  he  boldly  pushed  onwards  every  man 
that  he  had  disposable.  The  cavalry,  as  before,  rushed  down  the 
main  road.  Through  an  unfortunate  mistake  they  succeeded  in 
rolling  up  the  G9th  regiment,  and  carrying  off  the  only  trophy 
which  they  won  that  day — one  of  its  colors.  But  an  attempt 
which  they  made  simultaneously  upon  the  32nd  totally  failed, 
and  they  suffered  terribly.  Meanwhile,  the  infantry,  clearing  the 
wood,  debouched  into  the  open  country.  They  were  numerous, 
resolute,  and  well  supported  by  a  column  of  cuirassiers,  upon 
which  Major  Kuhlman's  battery,  of  the  horse  artillery  of  the 
German  Legion,  poured  a  destructive  fire ;  and  they  gained 
ground,  driving  Brunswickers  and  Hanoverians  before  them,  till 
they,  approached  that  part  of  the  Allied  position  where  the  92nd 
were  stationed.  Major-Gen.  Barnes,  Adjutant-General -to  the 
forces,  saw  the  enemy,  and  rode  up  to  the  Highlanders.  He  took 
off  his  hat,  waved  it  in  the  air,  and  crying  out,  "  Now,  92nd,  fol- 
low me !"  struck  a  spark  which  flew  like  electricity  from  file  to 


86  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.        [CHAP.  x. 

file.  The  Highlanders  sprang  from  the  ditch  in  which  they  were 
lying,  and,  while  the  bagpipes  screamed  the  Camerons'  Gather- 
ing, brought  their  bayonets  to  the  level,  and  rushed  forward. 
I3ack  and  back  went  the  French  column.  Once  or  twice  the  lead- 
ing companies  endeavored  to  make  a  stand,  but  the  charge  of  the 
Highlanders  was  irresistible,  and  they  broke  and  fled  till  the 
shelter  of  a  hedge-row  gave  them  the  opportunity  of  deploying. 
From  behind  that  cover  they  threw  in  a  volley,  which  did  not  ar- 
rest the  assailants  for  a  moment.  Col.  John  Cameron,  who  com- 
manded, received  indeed  a  desperate  wound,  which  deprived  him 
of  all  power  to  manage  his  horse,  and  being  thrown  heavily  on 
Ids  head,  he  died.  But  his  followers,  instead  of  being  daunted  by 
that  circumstance,  seemed  but  to  gather  from  it  an  increase  of 
fury.  They  received,  without  taking  notice  of  it,  another  volley 
from  another  French  column  on  the  flank,  which  thinned  their 
ranksj  but  left  the  survivors  as  resolute  as  ever  ;  and  these,  rush- 
ing with  a  shout  through  the  hedge-row,  drove  the  enemy  in  con- 
fusion back  into  the  wood.  They  were  here  halted,  and  with- 
drawn under  cover  of  a  copse,  in  order  to  avoid  a  fresh  charge  of 
French  cavalry  which  threatened  them. 

It  was  by  this  time  pretty  evident  to  Ney  that  success  in  the 
battle  which  he  had  bravely  waged  was  hardly  to  be  expected. 
D'Erlon's  corps  did  not  arrive,  and  he  now  teamed  to  his  horror, 
that  it  had  been  moved  to  the  support  of  Napoleon,  who  directed 
him,  in  like  manner,  to  bear  towards  his  right,  for  the  purpose 
of  overwhelming  the  left  of  the  Prussians  at  St.  Amand.  Ney 
was  furious.  He  persuaded  himself  that,  had  the  original  plan 
of  battle,  as  given  to  him  early  in  the  morning,  been  adhered  to, 
he  might  have  secured  by  this  time  the  entire  severance  of  the 
English  from  their  allies  ;  and  he  scouted  the  idea  01  being  able 
to  disentangle  himself  from  the  English,  however  urgent  the  call 
for  his  assistance  might  be  in  other  quarters.  He  therefore  re- 
iterated his  orders  for  D'Erlon  to  close  up,  and  continued  his 
endeavors  to  gain  ground  on  both  flanks,  as  well  from  Piermont 
as  through  the  wood  of  Bossu.  But  by  this  time  more  strength 
had  arrived  for  the  English.  The  1st  and  2nd  light  battalions 
of  Brunswickers  came  up  with  two  batteries  of  artillery ;  and 


CHAP,  x.]  BATTLE  OF  QUATRE  BRAS.  87 

by-and-by  General   Cooke's   British   division   entered   into   the 
battle.     TJjp  latter,  comprising  two  brigades  of  Guards,  fell  in, 
too,  at  the  very  point  where  they  were  most  needed.     They 
arrived  on  the  skirt  of  the  wood  of  Bossu  just  as  the  French 
tirailleurs  were  forcing  their  way  through,  and  a  light  battalion 
under  Lord  Saltoun  being  let  loose,  rushed  like  fox-hounds  into 
the  cover,  and  cleared  it.     The  battalions  followed  in  the  highest 
possible  spirits,  despite  of  the  excessive  fatigue  under  which  they 
labored,  for  they  had  been  on  the  march  since  early  dawn,  and 
but  for  the  excitement  of  a  battle  must  have  sunk  under  it. 
From  that  moment  the  tide  of  victory  was  turned.     Halket's 
•  brigade  on  one  flank,  the  Guards  on  the  other,  and  the  regiments 
of  the  line  filling  up  the  intervals,  advanced  with  the  step  of 
conquerors.    It  was  to  no  purpose  that  the  French  cavalry  charged 
these  gallant  footmen.     Where  time  to  form  square  was  want- 
ing, lines  retreated  to  the  edge  of  the  road,  and  thence,  by  'a  well- 
directed  fire,  cut  down  the  assailants,  who  no  sooner  drew  off 
than  the  infantry  were  again  in  motion,  carrying  everything 
before  them.     One  after  another  the  strongholds  which  Ney  had 
won  in  the  beginning  of  the  battle  were  recovered.     Piermont 
fell  to  the  95th  and  their  comrades  of  the  German  Legion;  Gemi- 
oncourt  was  retaken  by  Picton's  division  :  and  the  Guards  effec- 
tually made  themselves  masters  of  the  whole  of  the  wood  of 
Bossu.     In  a  word,  Ney  was  utterly  beaten,  and  retreated,  under 
cover  of  the  growing  darkness,  to  his  original  position  at  Frasnes. 
In  front  of  that  place  his  pickets  were  planted,  while  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  conscious  of  his  own  strength,  ordered  his  follow- 
ers to  bivouac  for  the  night,  and  waited,  full  of  hope,  for  the 
morrow. 


88  STORY  OF  ^THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  si. 

- 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Battle  of  Ligny. 

WHILE  the  English  were  thus  engaged  in  and  around  Quatre 
Bras,  a  furious  combat  was  in  progress  a  few  miles  to  the  left, 
where  Napoleon  and  Bl  icher  fought  with  a  degree  of  obstinacy 
not  often  surpassed  in  modern  times.  Napoleon  was  the  assail- 
ant on  this  occasion,  as  he  had  been  the  previous  day.  Blucher 
accepted  the  battle  in  a  position  long  previously  surveyed,  and 
selected  as  the  fittest  for  combining  the  operations  of  his  army 
with  those  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  A  few  words  will  suffice 
to  describe  it. 

Nearly  parallel  with  the  Namur  road,  and  a  little  in  advance 
of  it,  that  is,  in  advance  of  the  road  looking  in  the  direction  of 
the  French  frontier,  rises  an  irregular  chain  of  heights,  which, 
beginning  on  the  west,  near  the  village  of  Bry,  ends  somewhat 
to  the  east  of  Balatre.  This  position,  for  such  it  is,  has  both 
flanks  covered  by  ravines,  through  which  flow  two  small  rivulets 
while  its  front  slopes  down  into  the  plain,  across  which,  receiving 
the  waters  of  the  other  two  into  its  own,  passes  the  stream  of 
Ligny.  A  good  many  villages  stand  forward  from  the  main 
position,  but  they  are  all  considerably  removed  from  it.  Bry. 
St.  Amand-le-Haye,  St.  Amand,  and  Ligny  form  a  sort  of  tri- 
angle on  the  left  centre,  having  St.  Amand  for  its  apex.  Mont 
Pontriaux,  Tongreville,  Boignee,  and  Balatre  throw  themselves 
well  nigh  into  the  same  shape  on  the  right  centre.  The  centre 
itself — embracing  in  that  term  the  road  from  Fleurus  and  the 
direct  approaches  on  Sombref — is  open.  But  no  hostile  column 
could  mano3uvre  there  as  long  as  the  villages  should  remain  in 
the  possession  of  the  defenders  ;  for  Ligny  on  the  one  side,  and 
Boignee  on  the  other,  command  the  approaches  to  it ;  and 
Tongreville  and*  Mont  Pontriaux  sweep  its  further  gorge  with 
their  fire. 


CHAP.  xi.J  BATTLE  OP  LIGNY.  89 

The  position  of  Sombref  or  Ligny  (for  by  this  name  the 
English  reader  -will  best  recognize  it)  offered,  iu  a  strategetical 
point  of  view,  many  advantages  to  Prince  Blflcher.  It  was  not 
only  near  the  left  of  the  English  army,  with  which  it  connected 
itself  by  the  high  road  from  Namur  to  Nivclles,  but  so  long  as  he 
should  be  able  to  hold  it,  he  could  reckon  on  his  own  communica- 
tions with  the  line  of  the  Mouse,  with  Aix-la-Chapelle,  and  the 
Prussian  states  as  being  secure.  On  the  other  hand,  if  it  should 
not,  on  trial,  prove  tenable  ;  if  the  Duke  of  Wellington  should  not 
be  able  to  afford  in  time  the  full  measure  of  support  which  was 
necessary,  Sombref  on  the  one  hand  and  Quatre  Bras  on  the  other 
would  become  mere  advanced  stations,  whence,  after  offering  to 
the  enemy  as  protracted  a  hindrance  as  circumstances  would 
allow,  the  Allied  generals  might  fall  back  upon  a  second  line. 
There  were  excellent  parallel  roads  of  retreat  open  to  both,  one 
leading  to  Brussels,  the  other  to  Louvain  ;  so  that  by  means  of 
these,  either  in  front  of  the  forest  of  Soignics,  or,  if  need  were, 
still  closer  to  the  capital,  a  junction  of  their  forces  might  take 
place.  Moreover  the  position  of  Sombref  was  equally  effective 
against  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  whether  he  had  come  by  Mons 
or  by  Namur.  In  the  former  case  Bliicher  could  have  moved  to 
the  support  of  the  English  at  least  as  rapidly  as,  under  existing 
circumstances,  the  English  could  move  to  support  him.  In  the 
latter,  three,  perhaps  four,  of  his  corps  would  have  concentrated 
under  cover  of  the  fifth,  at  the  exact  point  where  it  was  most 
competent  to  the  English  to  sustain  them  ;  while  the  latter,  in 
the  act  of  doing  so,  must  have  effectually  provided  against  all  dan- 
ger from  the  side  of  Charleroi.  Looking,  therefore,  to  the  great 
objects  of  the  campaign,  and  considering  how  they  were  likely  to 
be  best  attained,  there  can  be  but  one  opinion  among  competent 
judges  in  regard  to  the  fitness  of  the  position  of  Sombref,  though 
even  its  comparative  advantage  as  a  field  of  battle  would  of  course 
depend  upon  the  manner  in  which  the  Prussian  General  should 
occupy  the  ground  with  his  troops. 

It  has  been  stated  that  during  the  operations  of  the  luth, 
Zieten's  Prussian  corps  fell  back  upon  FIcurus,  and  that  tho 
French  halted  in  front  of  that  village.  The  Prussians  did  not 


91  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      CHAP,  xi.j 

remain  in  Fleurus.  They  left,  indeed,  some  troops  to  keep  it.  till 
attacked,  and  connected  them  with  the  villages  in  rear  by  means 
of  a  body  of  cavalry ;  but  their  infantry  were  distributed,  for  the 
night,  among  Bry,  St.  Amand-la-Haye,  St.  Amand,  and  Ligny. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  main  body  of  the  corps  took  ground  to 
the  rear,  and  formed  upon  the  high  grounds  above  the  villages. 
Seven  battalions  of  the  2nd  brigade  drew  up  in  two  lines  behind 
the  farm  and  mill  of  Bussy ;  the  8th  threw  itself  into  this  farm, 
and  put  it  in  a  state  of  defence.  Two  battalions  of  the  six  which 
composed  the  4th  brigade  stood  upon  the  slope  between  the  2nd 
brigade  and  Ligny,  while  the  remaining  four  occupied  the  village 
of  Ligny  itself.  Bry  was  occupied  by  two  battalions,  another 
being  posted  a  little  in  the  rear  in  support,  and  two  companies  of 
Silesian  riflemen  lay,  in  extended  order,  among  the  broken  ground 
between  Bry  and  St.  Amand-la-Haye.  The  remainder  of  the  1st 
brigade,  of  which  these  formed  a  part,  took  post  in  two  lines  ou 
the  height  overlooking  St.  Amand,  with  its  right  on  St.  Amand- 
la-Haye,  while  St.  Amand  itself  was  guarded  by  three  battalions 
of  the  3rd  brigade.  Finally  the  six  remaining  battalions  of  this 
brigade  formed,  in  reserve,  a  little  to  the  northward  of  Ligny ; 
and  the  cavalry  continued,  from  its  advanced  position  on  the 
Fleurus  road,  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy. 

These  dispositions,  which  began  at  an  early  hour,  were  com- 
pleted by  eight  o'clock ;  at  eleven  General  Pirch's  corps,  the  2nd, 
marched  into  position  ;  this  latter,  it  will  be  remembered,  having 
moved  from  Namur  on  the  first  intimation  of  Napoleon's  advance, 
had  bivouacked  during  the  night  at  Mazy.  It  was  now  formed  in 
support  of  Zieten's  corps — one  brigade  where  the  Nivelles  road 
is  crossed  by  an  old  Roman  causeway ;  another  in  rear  of  Bussy 
and  of  Bry ;  a  third  a  little  distance  more  to  the  left ;  and  a  fourth 
upon  the  road  from  Sombref  to  Fleurus.  The  cavalry  of  this 
corps  was  massed  in  rear  of  the  Nivelles  road,  a  good  way  to  the 
left  of  Sombref;  and  its  artillery,  as  well  as  that  belonging  to 
Zieten's,  drew  up  where  it  was  not  in  reserve  on  such  points  as 
offered  the  most  commanding  view  of  the  probable  approaches  of 
the  enemy. 

Last  of  all,  while  Pirch's  troops  were  yet  settling  themselves 


CHAP,  xi.]  BATTLE  OF  LIGNY.  91 

• 

on  the  plateaux  respectively  assigned  to  them,  Thielmann  arrived 
on  the  ground.  He  had  been  on  the  march  since  seven  in  the 
morning,  at  which  hour  his  rear  quitted  Namur  ;  and  he  now  took 
charge  of  that  portion  of  the  field  which  lay  between  Sombref  and 
]>alatre.  The  mass  of  his  troops  stood  in  columns  upon  the  great 
roads ;  his  skirmishers  took  charge  of  the  outer  face  of  the  line, 
extending  from  beyond  Balatre,  in  an  irregular  curve,  all  the 
way  to  Mont  Pontriaux.  His  artillery  was  chiefly  so  disposed 
as  to  command  the  high  road  where  it  passes  between  Mont 
Pontriaux  and  Tongrines. 

At  dawn  of  day  on  the  16th  Napoleon  mounted  his  horse  ;  and 
the  whole  of  the  French  troops  which  had  spent  the  night  in 
Charleroi,  and  in  bivouac  along  the  banks  of  the  Sambre,  marched 
to  join  the  advanced  corps  in  the  vicinity  of  Fleurus.  It  takes 
time,  however,  to  assemble  divisions  and  brigades  who  may  have 
lain  down  over  night  without  much  regard  to  order ;  and  hence 
ten  o'clock  arrived  ere  the  rear  of  the  French  army  was  so  united 
with  the  front  as  to  admit  of  the  commencement  of  a  movement 
in  order  of  battle.  Let  us  not  be  misuuderstood.  Napoleon  has 
been  somewhat  rashly  censured  by  writers  of  all  nations,  as  if  he 
had  been  lax  in  the  distribution  of  his  columns  over  night,  and 
unnecessarily  tardy  in  bringing  them  into  action  in  the  morning. 
Lax  he  certainly  was  not ;  that  he  scarcely  made  the  exertions, 
which  twenty  years  before  he  would  have  made,  to  sustain  the 
spirits  of  his  men,  and  close  them  well  up  during  the  night  of  the 
15th,  can  hardly  be  disputed.  But  let  it  not  be  forgotten  that 
the  exertions  of  many  of  his  corps,  previously  to  the  15th,  had 
been  gigantic ;  and  that  whenever  you  overstrain  men's  strength, 
you  must  make  up  your  mind  to  a  reaction.  We  doubt  whether 
the  battle  of  Ligny  could  have  been  begun  many  hours  sooner 
than  the  attack  actually  took  place  ;  and  though  we  blame  Napo- 
leon for  failing  to  press  his  people  well  nigh  beyond  their  strength, 
it  is  not  at  all  clear  to  us  that  even  if  he  had  done  so,  the  issue  of 
the  battle  would  have  been  different. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  IGth,  when  the 
French  army  debouched  in  two*  columns  from  the  wood  which 
covers  Fleurus,  and  formed  into  two  lines  facing  the  town.  Pa- 


93  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.       [CHAP.  XL 

jol's  light  and  Excelman's  heavy  cavalry  constituted  the  right  of 
the  first  line,  Girard's  corps  was  in  the  centre,  and  Vandamme's  on 
the  left :  the  second  consisted  entirely  of  the  Imperial  G  uard,  with 
Milhaud's  cuirassiers — an  imposing  and  very  formidable  array. 
The  lines  were  not,  as  British  lines  are,  extended  by  regiments 
two  deep — they  were  colonnes  serrees,  the  favorite  formation  of  the 
French,  and  indeed  of  all  the  continental  armies  ;  and  they  stood 
at  ease,  in  their  ranks,  for  a  full  hour,  while  Napoleon  rode  along 
the  line  of  videttes  to  reconnoitre  the  Prussian  position. 

It  is  difficult  to  say,  among  the  contradictory  accounts  which 
have  been  given,  what  Napoleon's  real  opinions  were  in  regard  to 
the  designs  of  Bliicher.  and  his  arrangement  of  his  army  in  order 
to  accomplish  them.  The  statements  which  represent  him  as 
misunderstanding  altogether  the  object  of  the  Prussian  forma- 
tions, are  doubtless  incorrect ;  for  it  is  much  more  probable  that 
a  commander  of  his  experience  should  give  Blucher  credit  for 
well  disguising  his  intentions  than  that,  failing  to  observe  them 
accurately,  he  should  attribute  to  them  a  direction  altogether  out 
of  place.  Be  this,  however,  as  it  may,  he  could  not  but  be  aware 
that  in  order  to  give  himself  a  chance  in  the  future  operations  of 
the  campaign,  it  was  necessary  to  force  the  Prussians  away  from 
the  English  ;  and  that  the  only  sure  mode  of  doing  so  would  be 
to  overwhelm  their  right,  and  so  to  gain  the  command  of  the 
great  road  to  Nivelles.  Accordingly  the  dispositions  of  his  forces, 
during  the  earlier  part  of  the  16th  of  June,  seem  all  to  have  had 
this  object  in  view.  For  example,  between  eleven  and  twelve  he 
pushed  forward  his  light  troops,  and  with  very  little  trouble  made 
himself  master  of  Fleurus.  He  then  opened  a  cannonade  upon 
the  Prussian  cavalry  which  occupied  the  high  road  between  that 
town  and  the  villages  on  the  edge  of  the  plain  ;  and  then,  after 
forming  his  columns,  took  post  upon  the  high  ground  above  the 
town,  and  once  more,  with  equal  care  and  deliberation,  scanned 
the  whole  of  Blucher's  arrangements.  It  was  at  this  time  that  he 
caused  Soult  to  write  that  dispatch  to  Ney,  of  which  the  latter,  not 
without  some  apparent  reason,  has  complained.  Ney  felt  that  his 
hands  were  full ;  and  hence,  though  it  is  very  possible  that  Napo- 
leon's plan  might,  in  the  abstract,  be  such  as  became  his  own  high 


CHAP.  X-..]  BATTLE  OF  LIGNY.  «K» 

military  reputation,  his  lieutenant  knew  that,  in  the  presence  of 
a  general  like  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  it  was  practically  out  of 
the  question. 

Napoleon's  orders  to  Ney  were  in  substance  these.  He  stated, 
that  in  half  an  hour  he  meant  to  fall  upon  Blucher,  whose  troops 
were  massed  between  Sombref  and  Bry ;  that  he  had  no  doubt  of 
making  a  great  impression  ;  but  that  to  complete  the  victory,  and 
open  for  him  the  road  to  Brussels,  it  was  necessary  that  Ney  should 
give  him  a  vigorous  co-operation.  For  this  purpose  it  was  his 
desire,  that  Ney  should  drive  back  whatever  force  might  be  im- 
mediately in  his  front;  and  then,  instead  of  following  up  a  partial 
victory,  that  he  should  bring  forward  his  left  shoulder,  and  act 
upon  the  right  and  rear  of  the  Prussians.  At  the  same  time  the 
dispatch  gave  the  agreeable  assurance  that  Napoleon  was  confident 
of  success ;  and  that  in  the  event  of  his  prevailing  before  Ney 
should  have  had  time  to  make  this  flank  movement,  he,  in  his  turn, 
would  bring  up  the  right  shoulder,  and  fall  upon  Ney:s  adversaries 
at  Quatre  Bras.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  at  the  very  time 
when  the  Emperor  was  reconnoitring  Blucher,  and  meditating 
these  instructions,  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  with  Blucher  at 
the  mill  of  Bussy,  arranging  for  the  co-operation  of  the  two  allied 
armies.  So  strangely  is  the  great  game  of  war  played  when  mas- 
ters in  the  art  are  opposed  to  one  another  ;  so  little  are  the 
guiding  spirits  on  either  side  aware  of  the  obstacles  which  are  iu 
the  act  of  being  raised  to  the  accomplishment  of  their  respective 
designs. 

Having  cleared  the  wood  of  Fleurus,  and  compelled  the  Prus- 
sian cavalry,  under  Gon.  Iloder,  to  retire  beyond  the  Ligny,  the 
French  army  formed  in  three  columns  of  attack,  keeping  the 
Guard,  20,000  strong,  with  Milhaud's  cuirassiers,  in  reserve.  The 
left  column,  consisting  of  Vandamme's  corps,  to  which  was 
attached  Girard's  division  from  the  corps  of  Reillc,  advanced 
against  St.  Aman  1,  the  salient  point  in  the  Prussian  position. 
In  this  formation  Girard's  division  constituted  the  extreme  left ; 
next  to  it  moved  a  division  of  light  cavalry  under  Gen.  Dumont; 
and  then,  in  continuation  of  the  line,  came  Vandainme,  with  his 
well  -arranged  infantry.  The  centre  column  consisted  of  Girard's 


94  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.       [CHAP.  xr. 

corps  d'armee,  which  had  the  Fleurus  road  to  operate  by  ;  and  oc- 
cupied heights  on  the  Fleurus  side  of  Ligny,  threatening  that 
village.  The  right  column  under  Grouchy  was  made  up  chiefly 
of  cavalry,  and  showed  front  towards  the  villages  of  Tongrines, 
Tongeville,  Brignee,  and  Balatre,  protecting  Girard  against  any 
endeavors  of  the  Prussians  to  take  him  in  flank,  and  diverting  the 
attention  of  the  Prussian  left  from  the  danger  with  which  the 
right  was  about  to  be  threatened.  The  reserve,  composed  as  has 
already  been  described,  was  halted  in  two  columns  ;  the  one  upon 
the  right,  the  other  on  the  left  of  Fleurus. 

With  respect  to  the  actual  numbers  of  the  forces  thus  arrayed 
against  one  another,  it  is  not  very  easy  to  state  them  accurately. 
The  probability,  however,  is,  that  if  we  take  them  according  to 
the  official  lists  on  both  sides,  we  shall  not  greatly  err  :  in  which 
case  the  French  may  be  put  down  as  mustering — of  infantry. 
50,885;  of  cavalry,  13,100;  of  artillery,  7,218;  in  all  71,203 
men,  with  242  guns :  whereas  the  Prussians  displayed,  deducting 
1,200  lost  in  the  operations  of  the  previous  day,  83,417  men  with 
224  guns.  But  the  slight  numerical  superiority  of  the  latter  was 
more  than  compensated  by  the  comparative  inexperience  of  their 
troops,  of  whom  many  were  now  for  the  first  time  about  to  come 
under  fire  :  and  it  is  past  dispute  that  for  the  mere  purposes  of  a 
battle,  they  were  not  placed  exactly  as  the  rules  of  war  would 
seem  to  dictate. 

The  heights  of  Fleurus,  of  which  the  French  were  in  posses- 
sion, immediately  overlooked  the  ridges  of  the  Prussian  position. 
Troops  descending  from  them  were,  moreover,  sheltered  by 
woods  and  ground  which  was  much  broken ;  and  the  villages 
which  the  Prussians  had  occupied,  or  at  least  the  more  advanced 
of  them,  lay  on  Jhe  French  rather  than  on  their  own  side  of  the 
valley.  The  heights  of  St.  Amand  and  Ligny  were,  on  the  con- 
trary, open  and  exposed  throughout.  Troops  covering  them,  even 
on  the  more  elevated  points,  offered  a  sure  mark  to  artillery 
planted  above  Fleurus,  and  every  battalion  which  should  move 
down  to  support  the  troops  in  the  villages  must  do  so  under  a 
murderous  fire.  It  was  this  fault,  indeed,  in  the  position  which 
the  Duke  pointed  out  to  Bliicher  while  they  stood  together  ;  but 


CHAP.  xi.J  BATTLE  OF  LIGNY.  95 

the  latter  cither  did  not  perceive,  or  chose  to  disregard  it.  He 
said  that  his  men  liked  to  see  the  enemy  with  whom  they  were 
going  to  be  engaged  ;  and  the  Duke  could  not  press  the  argument 
farther  than  by  observing,  that  "  with  English  troops  he  should 
have  occupied  the  ground  differently." 

About  half  past  two  o'clock  the  battle  began.  The  advance  of 
Yandamme's  columns  was  covered  by  a  murderous  fire  of  artil- 
lery, to  which  the  Prussian  batteries  from  the  heights  between 
Ligny  and  St.  Amand  replied ;  but  the  position  of  the  French 
guns  was  far  superior,  and  the  practice  of  their  gunners  proved 
to  be  excellent.  Supported  by  this  cannonade,  which  passed  over 
their  heads,  Vandamme's  people  pressed  on,  and  in  spite  of  a 
stout  resistance  from  the  troops  in  occupation  of  the  village  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  possession  of  it.  They  forthwith  debouched 
on  the  face  of  the  slope ;  but  were  met  with  such  a  shower  of 
grape  from  the  batteries  above,  that  their  order  became  almost 
immediately  confused.  Forthwith  four  battalions  of  Prussian 
infantry  charged  them  ;  and  after  a  fierce  encounter  a  portion  of 
the  village  was  recovered — the  Prussians  occupying  the  lower 
part,  the  French  holding  tenaciously  to  the  higher. 

Meanwhile  all  the  guns  on  either  side  that  could  be  brought 
to  bear  opened  their  fire.  It  was  a  species  of  battle  in  which 
the  French  had,  for  many  reasons,  the  advantage  ;  and  the  corps 
which  held  the  upper  part  of  St.  Amand  being  largely  rein- 
forced, a  renewed  attack  was  made  upon  the  Prussians  in  the 
hollow.  It  was  repulsed  again,  and  again  renewed ;  but  being 
once  more  set  in  motion,  with  increased  numbers,  it  succeeded. 
The  truth  is,  that  the  Prussians  lost  as  many  men  in  the  act  of 
feeding  the  village,  as  fell  in  the  defence  of  it.  Brigade  after 
brigade,  and  regiment  after  regiment,  was  decimated  while  de- 
scending the  heights  to  its  proper  field  of  battle ;  and  the  whole 
came  in  consequence  into  action  so  broken  that  they  could  not 
make  the  most  of  their  valor.  The  consequence  was,  that  after 
sustaining  an  enormous  loss,  General  Stcinmetz,  who  commanded 
in  this  part  of  the  field,  was  forced  to  retire,  and  took  post, 
with  the  remains  of  his  division,  on  the  ridge  between  Sombrcf 
and  I3ry. 


90  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  xt. 

Meanwhile  the  village  of  Ligny  became  the  scene  of  a  very 
fierce  and  varied  struggle.  The  French,  concealed  by  the  tall 
corn  which  grew  in  the  vicinity,  advanced  towards  it  in  front 
and  by  the  left  flank  in  great  numbers,  and  made  their  rush  so 
suddenly,  that  they  won  all  the  gardens  and  hedge-rows  which 
immediately  skirted  the  village.  There  they  established  them- 
selves in  spite  of  the  utmost  exertions  of  the  defenders,  who 
advanced  to  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  fought  desperately. 
But  the  enemy  were  not  to  be  repulsed  :  and  foot  by  foot  the 
garrison  yielded  ground,  till  the  farther  extremity  of  the  town 
alone  remained  to  them.  At  this  moment,  several  houses,  in- 
cluding an  old  chateau,  took  fire,  and  the  scene  became  terrific 
in  the  extreme  :  the  roar  of  musketry  was  incessant ;  while  from 
cither  side  the  batteries  on  the  high  grounds  poured  down  shot 
and  shell,  as  if  the  sole  desire  of  the  cannoneers  had  been  to 
destroy  life,  without  pausing  to  inquire  whether  they  were 
friends  or  foes  who  fell  beneath  them.  And  now  came  a  strong 
reinforcement  to  the  Prussians — running,  as  their  comrades  about 
St.  Auiand  had  done,  the  gauntlet  all  along  the  slope.  They 
were  full  of  energy,  however,  and  seemed  to  disregard  the  havoc 
that  had  been  made  in  their  ranks  ;  and  they  fell  with  such  fury 
upon  the  French  that  the  latter  gave  way  before  them,  and  the 
village  was  in  ten  minutes  recovered.  Again,  for  a  space,  the 
rattle  of  musketry  was  suspended,  while  the  troops  on  either 
side  sought  shelter  to  take  breath ;  but  the  roar  of  cannon  was  in- 
cessant— and  though  the  Prussian  salvos  did  not  fall  harmless, 
the  slaughter  occasioned  by  those  of  the  enemy  was  much  more 
tremendous. 

In  this  manner  the  battle  raged  for  a  full  hour  and  a  half  upon 
the  Prussian  left.  The  right  remained  comparatively  unmo- 
lested; for  it  did  not  enter  into  Napoleon's  plan  to  drive  them 
back  upon  the  English,  from  whom,  on  the  contrary,  it  was  his 
earnest  wish  to  divide  them.  But,  though  Blucher's  real  object 
was  to  keep  his  ground  till  supported,  it  was  not  in  his  nature  to 
fight  a  purely  defensive  battle.  He  had  lost  St.  Amand  and 
St.  Amand-la-Haye ;  because  the  latter,  though  not  so  severely 
pressed,  had,  in  the  general  retreat  of  Steinmetz's  brigade,  been 


CHAP,  xi.]  BATTLE  OF  LIGNY.  97 

abandoned.  Blucher  determined  to  recover  them  ;  and,  the  bet- 
ter to  facilitate  this  manoeuvre,  he  directed  the  5th  brigade  of 
General  Pirch's  corps  to  seize  the  village  of  Wagnele,  and  to 
operate  thence  against  the  enemy.  At  the  same  time  a  consider- 
able body  of  cavalry  was  moved  towards  the  slope,  and  the  whole 
combining  their  movements  with  great  exactitude,  went  forward 
to  the  fray.  But  here  again  the  radical  defect  of  Bliicher's 
position  made  itself  manifest :  the  columns  were  smashed  by  the 
fire  of  the  enemy's  cannon  ere  they  reached  the  points  of  attack, 
and  their  valor,  however  impetuous,  failed  in  consequence  to  pro- 
duce the  desired  results.  The  attack  of  St.  Amand-la-IIaye  was 
repulsed  with  great  slaughter,  as  was  a  second  attempt  made  in 
the  same  direction  about  half  an  hour  subsequently;  and  the 
brave  old  Prussian  could  not  but  look  with  anxiety  towards  the 
road  by  which  his  communications  with  the  English  army  must 
needs  be  maintained. 

Animated  by  the  success  which  had  thus  far  attended  their 
endeavors,  the  French  pushed  on,  and  well  nigh  without  firing 
a  shot,  made  themselves  masters  of  Wagnclc.  Blucher  saw  this, 
and  saw  at  the  same  time  that  there  needed  but  a  movement  in 
force  from  that  quarter  to  overwhelm  his  right ;  he  therefore  with- 
drew more  and  more  his  reserves  from  the  centre,  and  combined 
another  attack  for  the  recovery  of  the  three  villages.  The  pro- 
ceeding was  not  lost  upon  Napoleon :  he  also  detached  a  division 
of  the  Young  Guard,  with  a  brigade  of  lancers  from  Pajol's  cav- 
alry, and  a  battery  of  cannon  to  his  left,  and  directed  them  not 
only  to  support  Vandamme,  but  to  communicate,  if  possible,  with 
Ney  by  the  Nivelles  road.  This  counter-movement  succeeded, 
however,  only  in  part.  Blucher,  putting  himself  at  the  head  of 
the  column  which  had  been  formed  for  the  attack  of  St.  Amand- 
la-IIaye,  exclaimed,  "Children,  behave  well — don't  allow  'the 
Nation'  to  mock  you  again.  Forward,  in  God's  name."  And 
forward  they  went,  with  such  resolution  that  all  resistance  went 
down  before  them.  They  swept  aside  the  troops  that  covered 
the  approaches  to  the  village ;  they  poured  through  the  street 
into  the  churchyard,  and  fairly  lifted  the  French  out  of  both  ; 
indeed,  it  was  not  without  difficulty  that  their  officers  restrained 


D8  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.       [CHAP.  x/. 

them  from  following  the  flying  enemy  up  the  slope  of  their  own 
position.  lu  like  manner  the  cavalry  which  supported  them  on 
the  right  broke  through  and  dispersed  a  portion  of  the  enemy's 
horsemen  whom  it  encountered ;  while  a  battery  of  twelve- 
pounders,  which  supported  them  on  the  left,  was  so  intent  on  the 
work  assigned  to  it,  that  before  the  artillerymen  were  aware  a 
troop  of  French  dragoons  came  upon  them.  Not  a  gun,  how- 
ever, was  lost,  nor  could  the  enemy  so  much  as  cut  the  traces  or 
drive  away  the  horses.  The  gunners,  ceasing  to  fire,  attacked 
these  intruders  with  their  rammers  and  handspikes,  and  fairly 
drove  them  off. 

So  far  Bliicher's  movement  had  succeeded.  To  give  it  weight 
he  had  much  denuded  his  left  and  centre  of  their  reserves  ;  and 
he  felt,  that  were  Wagnele  in  like  manner  retaken,  no  serious 
damage  was  likely  to  result  from  his  having  done  so ;  but,  unfor 
tunately,  Wagnele  was  not  retaken.  Tippleskirchen's  brigade^ 
which  went  boldly  to  the  work,  consisted  of  very  young  troops, 
which  passed,  indeed,  victoriously  through  the  centre  of  the  vil- 
lage, but  failed  when  it  became  necessary  to  deploy  on  the  farther 
side  of  it.  Among  the  high  corn  that  grew  there  clouds  of  French 
skirmishers  lay,  who  opened  upon  the  column  such  a  storm  of  fire 
as  threw  it  into  considerable  confusion  :  and  the  support  coming 
up  somewhat  rashly,  increased  rather  than  diminished  the  evil. 
The  result  was,  that  companies  so  crowded  one  upon  another,  that, 
exposed  as  they  were  to  a  murderous  fire,  they  could  not  form  line. 
They  fell  back,  therefore,  through  the  village  :  and  a  heavy  column 
of  the  enemy  following  them  close,  Wagnele  remained  in  the 
hands  of  the  French. 


CIIAP.  xii.]  BATTLE  OP  LIGNY.  99 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Battle  of  Ligny — continued. 

THE  flight  of  the  Prussian  column  which  had  charged  "Wagnele 
led,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  a  second  attack  by  the  enemy  on  St. 
Ainand-la-Haye.  Of  St.  Amand  itself  they  still  retained  posses- 
sion ;  and  now  in  front,  and  on  either  flank,  they  poured  their 
troops  upon  St.  Amand-la-Haye,  in  numbers  and  with  a  perti- 
nacity which  defied  contradiction.  Once  more  the  Prussians 
were  driven  out,  only  that  they  might  re-form,  and  with  fresh 
supports  rush  again  upon  the  prize,  and  once  more  the  street,  and 
indeed  every  house  in  the  place,  became  the  scene  of  a  deadly 
combat.  But  it  was  not  in  this  direction  exclusively  that  the 
battle  raged.  Ligny  had  seen  a  little  fighting — it  was  destined 
to  see  much  more,  and  the  initiative  in  the  game  of  death  was 
taken  by  both  sides  simultaneously. 

The  4th  Prussian  brigade,  commanded  by  Count  Henkel,  was 
in  possession  of  the  village ;  the  3rd  brigade,  under  Gen.  Von 
Jagow,  supported  it.  Two  battalions  of  this  latter  force  were 
directed  to  pass  through,  and  to  advance  in  column  against  the 
enemy,  who  had  shown  a  considerable  force  along  the  slope  be- 
yond. The  battalions  moved  by  a  sort  of  defile,  and  were  scarcely 
clear  of  the  houses  when  they  found  themselves  in  presence  of  a 
heavy  column  of  French  infantry,  on  the  advance,  as  it  seemed, 
to  attack  the  village.  Both  columns  came  simultaneously  to  a 
halt,  yet  neither  deployed  :  indeed,  the  nature  of  the  ground  was 
such  as  scarcely  to  admit  of  a  deployment.  But  the  leading 
companies  on  either  side  opened  their  fire — a  blunder  from  which 
it  was  impossible  that  to  one  or  the  other  harm  should  not  ensue. 
One  of  those  accidents,  which  more  or  less  occur  in  all  battles, 
caused  the  evil  to  overtake  the  Prussians.  While  other  battalions 
were  coming  up  to  their  support,  a  cry  arose  that  the  enemy  had 


100  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xn. 

penetrated  by  a  different  direction  into  the  village,  and  that  the 
churchyard  was  in  their  possession.  You  cannot  argue  troops  so 
circumstanced  into  the  exercise  of  right  reason.  Some  of  those 
in  the  rear  turned  round,  and  unfortunately  fired  towards  the 
churchyard.  The  sound  of  firing  heard  in  that  direction  con- 
firmed the  belief  that  the  column  was  taken  in  reverse,  and  its 
communications  with  the  main  body  cut  off;  and,  some  French 
guns  having  been  brought  to  bear,  and  throwing  in  at  this  mo- 
ment a  well  directed  shower  of  grape,  all  order  and  consistency 
in  the  ranks  were  abandoned.  The  men  turned  and  fled  in  con- 
fusion, their  own  groundless  fears  paralyzing  them  ;  and  half  of 
the  village  was  actually  won  by  the  enemy  ere  the  fugitives  could 
be  convinced  of  their  error. 

-The  fight  in  and  about  Ligny  was  not  unobserved  by  Blucher. 
He  saw  the  advance  of  his  column,  its  check,  panic,  and  ultimate 
retreat ;  and,  feeling  the  importance  of  keeping  the  village  under 
the  turn  which  the  battle  had  taken,  he  ordered  Gen.  Von  Krafft, 
with  four  battalions  which  had  not  yet  been  engaged,  to  drive  the 
enemy  back.  At  the  same  time  some  changes  of  position  among 
the  artillery  took  place — batteries  which  had  been  exposed  all 
day  to  the  enemy's  fire  being  withdrawn,  and  others,  fresh  and 
well  supplied  with  ammunition  and  necessary  equipments,  pushed 
forward  from  the  reserve.  These  latter  opened  a  murderous  fire, 
to  which  the  French,  who  happened  to  follow  the  same  course  at 
the  same  moment,  replied ;  and,  the  advantage  of  position  being 
entirely  on  the  side  of  the  latter,  the  Prussians  suffered  severely. 
Nevertheless,  Gen.  Krafft,  forming  the  residue  of  his  brigade  into 
two  columns,  advanced  upon  Ligny.  Few  combats  have  been 
waged  with  more  determined  gallantry  than  that  which  for  the 
space  of  an  hour  was  maintained  in  the  village.  From  house  to 
house,  and  from  inclosure  to  inclosure,  the  combatants  pressed 
on,  and  were  forced  back  alternately ;  now  the  Prussians  gained 
ground — now  they  were  headed  and  rolled  to  the  rear  by  the 
French,  to  whom,  as  well  as  to  themselves,  reinforcements  came 
up  every  moment ;  and  who,  in  regard  to  artillery  practice,  were 
decidedly  superior ;  and  though  many  buildings  were  on  fire, 
and  the  wounded  not  unfrequently  perished  in  consequence,  the 


CHAP,  xii.]  BATTLE  OP  LIGNY.  101 

mutual  hatred  of  the  contending  parties  was  such,  that  neither 
would  withdraw.  No  quarter  was  either  given  or  sought  in  the 
streets  of  Ligny  that  day. 

Upon  the  whole,  the  French  had  the  advantage.  They  over- 
powered Von  Krafft's  battalions,  and  winning  the  churchyard,  as 
well  as  a  large  stone  building  advantageously  placed  for  either 
side,  they  held  them  both  with  the  most  obstinate  valor.  In 
vain  was  regiment  after  regiment  of  the  Prussians,  which  had 
heretofore  been  engaged,  launched  against  these  two  strongholds ; 
they  could  not  make  the  smallest  impression,  and  were  cut  down 
by  sections  in  the  effort — till  at  last  Bliicher  sent  down  a  fresh 
brigade  (Col.  Von  Langen's)  to  sustain  them,  and  the  battle  be- 
came more  furious  than  ever.  Col.  Langen  attacked  the  village 
with  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery ;  he  succeeded  in  mastering 
it,  all  except  that  portion  which  lay  on  the  left  of  the  stream,  and 
even  upon  that  he  made  for  a  while  a  marked  impression.  But 
the  progress  of  the  struggle  elsewhere  had  caused  Napoleon  to 
look  at  Ligny  with  a  different  eye,  and  in  due  time  plans  were 
developed  which  there  were  no  means  at  hand  to  derange  or 
counteract. 

It  was  natural  that  Bliicher  should  be  peculiarly  jealous  of  his 
right.  He  had  already  sustained  a  loss  of  position  there,  of 
which  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he  entertained  an  exagge- 
rated opinion ;  and,  believing  that  his  hold  upon  the  English 
army  would  be  lost  if  he  did  not  recover  it,  he  drew  off  every  dis- 
posable man  from  his  left  and  centre,  that  he  might  make  a  des- 
perate effort  to  recover  his  ground.  With  this  view  he  directed 
Gen.  Tippleskirchen  to  throw  himself  again  upon  St.  Amand-la- 
Ilaye,  while,  with  all  the  force  which  could  be  collected  from 
other  quarters,  an  effort  was  made  to  re-occupy  Wagnele,  and  the 
detached  houses  and  inclosures  near  it.  Among  the  rest,  the 
hamlet  of  Hameau  St.  Amand,  forming  a  sort  of  salient  angle 
between  Wagnele  and  St.  Amand-la-Haye,  was  furiously  attacked 
by  a  battalion  of  infantry,  covered  on  its  right  by  a  regiment  of 
hussars.  The  French  appear  not  to  have  expected  this  move- 
ment ;  and  their  troops,  which  held  the  place  loosely,  as  if  in  re- 
serve, were  driven  out  witli  much  slaughter ;  but  they  instantly 


102  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xn 

rallied,  and,  supported  by  fresh  numbers,  became  in  their  turn 
the  assailants.  A  desperate  battle  now  ensued.  The  Prussian 
hussars,  the  10th  regiment,  did  their  duty  nobly.  They  charged 
a  French  column,  and  broke  it  while  advancing;  but  they  were 
carried  too  far  by  their  ardor,  and  falling  upon  the  enemy's  sup- 
ports, suffered  in  their  turn,  and  were  dispersed.  In  like  man- 
ner St.  Amand-la-Haye  was  four  times  taken  and  retaken  on  both 
sides.  In  fact,  the  whole  extent  of  this  flank  became  the  scene 
of  a  struggle  so  sanguinary,  that  it  seemed  as  if  neither  general 
had  any  other  object  in  view  than  to  make  himself  master  of  the 
irregular  line  of  inclosures  which  covered  it. 

All  this  while  Napoleon,  from  the  high  ground  above  Fleurus, 
was  watching  with  an  eagle's  eye,  the  progress  of  the  battle.  He 
saw  that  Bluchcr  had  put  out  the  whole  of  his  strength.  He  ob- 
served brigade  after  brigade  file  from  the  exposed  plateau  on 
which  the  Prussians  had  arranged  their  reserves,  and  as  the  day 
was  wearing  apace,  he  conceived  that  the  time  had  come  for 
changing,  in  some  measure,  the  plan  of  his  operations.  The  Im- 
perial Guard,  20,000  strong,  with  eight  regiments  of  cuirassiers, 
the  elite  of  his  cavalry,  had  not  yet  come  into  action.  He  de- 
termined to  launch  them  in  one  overwhelming  mass  against  the 
Prussian  centre  ;  and  with  this  view  put  them  in  motion  upon 
Ligny.  But  just  at  this  moment  Vandamme  sent  to  inform  him 
chat  a  strong  body  of  troops,  composed  of  infantry,  cavalry,  and 
artillery,  were  approaching  Fleurus.  The  direction  of  their 
march,  moreover,  was  most  suspicious.  They  seemed  to  come  from 
Nivelles  or  Quatre  Bras ;  and  instead  of  bearing  down  upon  the 
Prussian  right,  threatened,  or  appeared  to  do  so,  the  rear  of  the 
French.  Vandamme  at  the  same  time  informed  the  Emperor, 
that,  alarmed  by  this  apparition,  he  had  been  forced  to  throw  back 
Girard's  division  ;  and  that  unless  the  reserve  were  employed  to 
protect  his  rear,  he  would  be  obliged  to  relinquish  the  advantages 
which  he  had  won,  and  to  evacuate  St.  Amand.  Napoleon  was 
perplexed.  He  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  this  corps.  He  was 
apprehensive  that  it  might  have  been  detached  by  Wellington,  and 
that  consequently  aifairs  had  not  gone  well  with  Ney.  Under  this 
impression  he  suspended  the  advance  of  the  Guard,  midway, 


«UP.  xii.]  BATTLE  OF  LIGNY.  103 

while  he  sent  out  staff-officers  in  whom  he  could  trust,  to  ascer- 
tain both  the  composition  and  the  design  of  the  strange  column. 
This  sudden  check  of  the  Guard  in  its  march,  together  with  the 
withdrawal  of  a  portion  of  Girard's  guns,  created  a  belief  among 
the  Prussians  that  the  enemy  were  retreating.  Immediately 
Bluchcr  directed  a  fresh  attack,  with  every  disposable  man,  to  be 
made  upon  St.  Amand  ;  and  the  fire  of  cannon  and  musketry  in 
that  direction  became  more  close  and  incessant  than  ever. 

A  brigade  of  light  cavalry,  commanded  by  Col.  Von  Marwitz, 
had  some  time  previously  been  moved  by  Blucher  to  his  extreme 
right,  where  it  formed  en  potence,  in  two  lines,  between  the  Nivelles 
road  and  the  old  Eoman  causeway.  Col.  Marwitz  had  not  long 
occupied  this  position  ere  he  was  menaced  both  by  cavalry  and 
artillery,  the  fire  of  the  latter  doing  him  some  damage,  though 
the  former  seemed  reluctant  to  close.  Once  it  threw  out  a  de- 
tachment, which  was  charged  and  beaten  back ;  and  by  and  by 
an  encounter  took  place,  with  similar  results,  between  some  chas- 
seurs a  cheval  and  a  squadron  of  landwehr  horse.  There  was  a 
good  deal  to  perplex  and  alarm  both  parties  in  these  eccentric 
movements.  Marwitz,  not  knowing  what  to  make  of  them, 
pushed  forward  a  reconnaissance,  in  the  course  of  which  some 
prisoners  were  taken,  and, from  them  it  was  ascertained  that 
D'Erlon's  corps  had  begun  to  manoeuvre  towards  the  Prussian 
right,  and  that  the  cavalry  and  artillery  with  which  the  latter 
had  just  been  engaged  formed  part  of  it.  These  were  serious 
tidings  for  Blucher.  He  was  already  matched  upon  this  point, 
and  though  successful  on  his  right,  felt  that  in  that  direction  no 
serious  attempt  had  been  made  to  force  him.  He  could  not  fail, 
therefore,  to  watch  with  much  anxiety  the  issue  of  an  operation 
on  which  he  had  no  cause  to  reckon. 

It  was  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  the  officer 
whom  Napoleon  had  dispatched  returned  with  information  that 
the  troops  which  had  alarmed  Vandamme  and  occasioned  the  de- 
lay in  the  projected  attack  on  Ligny  were  friends.  The  fact  was, 
that  D'Erlon  had  been  completely  paralyzed  in  his  proceedings 
by  the  contradictory  orders  which  reached  him,  now  from  Ney 
and  now  from  the  Emperor.  The  former,  having  gone  on  with 


104  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xii. 

out  him  to  the  attack  of  Quatre  Bras,  left  directions  that  ia  the 
first  instance  he  should  draw  up  in  front  of  Gosselies,  intending 
by  and  by  to  bring  him  down  along  the  main  road,  and  to  throw 
him  upon  the  flank  of  the  Allies.  Meanwhile,  Napoleon  being 
informed  of  this  halt,  and  taking  it  for  granted  that  Ney  could 
do  without  him,  sent  an  order  that  he  should  bring  up  his  left 
shoulder,  and  overlap  the  Prussians  in  St.  Amand.  Before  the 
latter  instructions  could  reach  him,  however,  Ney's  second  mes- 
sage had  arrived,  and  he  was  already  advanced  in  the  direction  of 
Quatre  Bras  as  far  as  Frasne.  But  here  the  Emperor's  messen- 
ger overtook  him ;  and  he,  dispatching  the  chief  of  his  staff  to 
inform  Ney  of  what  had  occurred,  instantly  turned  back  and 
took  the  road  to  Villers-Perruin.  This  was  an  error  for  which 
he  was  not  responsible.  Villers-Perruin  had  been  expressly 
named  as  lying  in  the  route  which  it  behooved  him  to  follow ; 
and  the  consequence  was,  that  instead  of  debouching,  as  he  might 
have  done,  on  the  Nivelles  road,  he  made  his  appearance  in  the 
rear  of  the  French  line,  and  discomposed  for  a  time  the  arrange- 
ments of  his  friends.  Moreover  another,  and  that  not  an  unnat- 
ural blunder  occurred,  of  which  D'Erlon  was  in  some  sort  the 
victim.  The  staff-officer  whom  Napoleon  employed  to  find  out 
what  this  unlooked-for  corps  might  be,  carried  with  him  no  par- 
ticular instructions  such  as  friends  might  profit  by.  Hence 
D'Erlon  had  nothing  for  it  except  to  move,  as  he  was  originally 
desired  to  do,  upon  St.  Amand  ;  and  if  he  moved  cautiously,  he 
cannot,  considering  the  peculiarity  of  his  circumstances,  be 
blamed.  But  still  worse  remained  for  him.  While  musing  over 
the  circumstance  that  no  specific  duty  had  been  assigned  to  him 
by  the  Emperor,  Ney's  last  and  most  urgent  command  for  his 
immediate  junction  at  Quatre-Bras  came  in.  lie  believed  that 
to  it  he  was  bound  to  pay  obedience.  And  so  it  came  to  pass, 
that  just  at  the  moment  when  by  a  vigorous  onset  he  might  have 
decided  the  fate  of  the  day,  he  was  once  more  countermarched 
on  Frasne,  almost  without  firing  a  shot.  As  has  already  been 
shown,  Ney  bitterly  complained  of  this,  in  his  letter  of  the  26th 
of  June  to  the  Minister  at  War ;  and  there  is  no  denying  that 
for  the  complaint  therein  uttered  there  was  much  room. 


CHAP,  xu.]  BATTLE  OP  LIGNY.  105 

It  does  not  appear  that  Napoleon  experienced  much  disap- 
pointment because  of  the  departure  of  D'Erlon  from  the  field  of 
Ligny.  His  plan  of  battle  was  not  formed  in  any  dependence  on 
support  from  that  quarter ;  and  as  he  made  no  change  of  dis- 
position in  consequence  of  the  tidings  which  his  aide-de-camp 
brought,  so  it  is  probable  that  he  took  very  little  notice  of  them. 
The  case  was  different  in  regard  to  the  Prussians.  They  felt 
that  it  was  in  D'Erlon's  power  to  work  them  infinite  harm,  and 
therefore  when  his  cavalry,  after  skirmishing  with  Marwitz's 
squadrons,  drew  off  and  disappeared,  they  experienced  an  amount 
of  relief  which  those  alone  can  comprehend  who  may  have  stood 
in  a  similar  predicament.  They  saw  that  they  were  safe  in  St. 
Amand  and  the  places  near,  and  they  hoped  to  accomplish  more 
than  their  own  safety.  Bliicher  hastene'd  his  preparations  for  an 
offensive  movement  against  the  French  left,  and  calculated  on 
rendering  it  decisive. 

Meanwhile,  Napoleon  resumed  his  plan  for  breaking  the  centre 
of  the  Prussian  line.  He  did  nothing,  however,  in  a  hurry.  On 
the  contrary,  he  masked  the  formation  of  his  columns  behind  the 
broken  road  on  the  right  of  Fleurus,  and  the  better  to  deceive  the 
enemy,  drew  off  both  guns  and  cavalry  from  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  Tongrine.  Grouchy  commanded  here,  to  whom  General 
Thielmann  was  opposed  ;  and  the  latter,  taking  it  for  granted  that 
the  enemy  were  sbakcn,  determined  to  push  them  hard.  His 
corps  had  been  much  weakened  by  the  withdrawal  of  portions  of 
it  to  strengthen  the  attacks  on  St.  Amand.  Of  cavalry  he  re- 
tained but  one  brigade,  Col.  Von  Marwitz's  being  disposed  of  as 
has  already  been  explained.  His  infantry  consisted  of  two  bri- 
gades, one  of  which,  Col.  Von  Kamfen's,  occupied  the  slope  be- 
tween Tongrine  and  Tongrenelle  ;  while  the  other,  Von  Borcke's, 
held  Mont  Pontriaux,  and  communicated  by  a  detached  battalion 
with  Stulpnagel'e,  in  front  of  Sombref.  Thielmann  instantly  di- 
rected Gen.  Von  Robe  to  advance  Lottum's  cavalry  along  the 
Fleurus  road,  and  to  carry  with  him  a  battery  of  horse-artillery. 
There  was  already  a  battery  of  12-pounders  upon  the  road,  close 
to  which  the  lighter  pieces  drew  up,  and  the  whole  opened  a 
furious  cannonade  upon  the  French  artillery,  which  was  ranged 


196  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [;HAP.  in. 

along  the  opposite  slope.  By  and  by  a  couple  of  guns  galloped 
forward  under  cover  of  two  squadrons  of  dragoons,  and  a  sort  of 
duel  commenced  between  them  and  an  equal  number  of  pieces 
which  the  enemy  had  brought  up  to  meet  them.  But  the  fight, 
besides  that  it  was  not  very  equal,  did  not  last  long.  Two  regi- 
ments of  Excelmans'  heavy  horse,  which  had  formed  on  the 
French  right  of  the  road,  suddenly  charged  the  Prussian  guns, 
and  the  squadrons  which  protected  them.  The  latter  were  ridden 
down  and  dispersed,  while  the  guns  retreated  at  a  gallop.  But 
the  enemy  never  drew  bridle:  they  pursued  the  flying  horsemen, 
hewing  and  cutting  at  the  rearmost,  and  coming  upon  the  12- 
pounder  battery  before  it  could  be  moved,  made  themselves  mas- 
ters of  the  cannon.  This  was  a  severe  blow,  and  seemed  to 
threaten  still  more  disastrous  consequences,  which  in  all  proba- 
bility would  have  occurred  at  oncej  had  not  Gen.  Von  Borcke  in- 
terposed to  avert  them. 

Gen.  Von  Borcke  made  a  forward  movement  with  the  whole  of 
his  infantry  brigade.  Two  battalions  were  thrown  out  to  line 
some  hedges  and  stone  walls,  which  running  parallel  with  the 
high  road,  flanked  the  enemy's  cavalry ;  a  third  took  post  in 
column  on  the  road  itself.  Mont  Pontriaux  and  its  outlets  were 
at  the  same  time  occupied  in  force  ;  and  two  battalions  alone  re- 
mained in  reserve.  These  dispositions,  supported  by  an  artillery 
fire  from  the  high  ground  about  Tongrcnelle,  checked  the  enemy, 
and  caused  him  some  loss  :  he  therefore  withdrew  from  this  part 
of  the  field. 

It  was  about  eight  o'clock,  and  the  battle  continued  to  rage  in 
and  about  Ligny  with  unremitting  fury.  Langen's  brigade  having 
been  called  away  from  its  position  irt  front  of  Sombref,  was  re- 
placed by  that  of  Col.  Stulpnagel,  who  not  only  had  devolved 
upon  him  all  the  duties  of  a  reserve,  but  was  compelled,  at  tlie 
same  time,  to  feed  the  garrison  of  Ligny,  and  to  keep  c%pen,  by 
means  of  a  chain  of  skirmishers,  the  communications  with  the 
troops  on  the  right  and  left.  Just  then,  when  Gen.  Gneisenau, 
the  accomplished  chief  of  Bliicher's  staff,  rode  up  to  Von  Borcke's 
ground,  and  was  taking  a  survey  from  it  of  the  whole  field  of  bat- 
tle, there  arrived  from  Ligny  an  aide-de-camp  dispatched  by  Von 


CHAP.  xn.J  BATTLE  OF  LIGNY.  107 

Krafft,  and  prayed  earnestly  for  assistance.  Now  Gneisenau  had 
not  a  single  battalion  disposable.  He  therefore  desired  the  officer 
to  return  and  say,  that  for  half  an  hour  longer  Krafft  must  hold 
his  ground,  let  the  sacrifice  of  life  be  what  it  might.  And  it  is 
not  a  little  remarkable  that  Blucher  was  at  the  same  moment 
animating  Von  Pirch  to  the  defence  of  St.  Amand-la-Haye,  though 
the  latter  assured  him  that  his  men  did  not  retain  a  single  round 
of  ammunition  in  their  pouches. 

The  Prussians  had  fought  long  and  gallantly,  but  the  symp- 
toms of  exhaustion  which  they  now  began  to  exhibit  could  not 
escape  the  observation  of  Napoleon.  It  seemed  as  if  the  hour  for 
which  he  had  waited  and  watched  were  come ;  and  he  was  not  the 
man  to  let  it  pass  unimproved.  He  moved  forward  upon  Ligny 
eight  battalions  of  grenadiers  of  the  Guard,  with  the  whole  of 
Milhaud's  heavy  cavalry,  none  of  which  had  as  yet  come  under 
fire.  They  were  all  fresh  and  free  from  fatigue.  Their  approach 
was  covered  and  protected  by  whole  salvoes  of  artillery,  many 
pieces  being  brought  up  from  the  rear,  and  now  for  the  first  time 
exploded  ;  and  the  more  to  encourage  the  Emperor  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  crowning  manoeuvre,  he  received  tidings  of  the 
arrival  of  Lobau's  corps.  This  fine  body  of  men,  which,  having 
a  long  way  to  compass,  had  been  unable  to  come  up  in  time  to 
play  a  part  in  the  opening  of  the  battle,  arrived  just  as  they  were 
wanted.  They  numbered  about  12,000  of  all  arms ;  and  being 
formed  into  contiguous  columns  a  little  to  the  right  of  Fleurus, 
constituted  such  a  reserve  as  left  Napoleon  nothing  to  fear.  Their 
hands,  and  those  of  the  Guard,  were  thus  completely  freed,  and 
he  did  not  permit  them  to  lack  employment. 

Napoleon,  ere  he  advanced  his  Guards  and  cavalry,  looked 
closely,  from  some  rising  ground,  into  the  dispositions  of  the 
Prussians.  He  observed  that  the  space  in  the  rear  of  Ligny  was 
well  nigh  denuded  of  troops ;  and  turning  to  Count  Gerard,  who 
stood  near,  he  exclaimed,  "  They  are  lost ;  they  have  no  reserves 
left."  In  a  moment  directions  were  given  to  push  on  guns,  horse, 
and  foot ;  and  a  furious  roar  of  cannon  soon  told  that  they  had 
been  obeyed.  The  shot  from  these  guns  fell  like  hail  among  the 
ian  troops  which  were  in  march  to  sustain  their  comrades  in 


108  STORY  OF   THE   BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xn. 

Ligny.  It  tore  open  sections,  and  seemed  to  crush  by  its  weight 
whole  columns ;  and  while  men  and  horses  yet  reeled  beneath  it 
the  Guards  appeared  emerging  fro'n  the  smoke.  In  front  and  by 
both  flanks  the  village  was  fiercely  assailed.  It  was  defended 
with  great  resolution,  in  spite  of  an  uncommon  disparity  in  num- 
bers ;  indeed  one  regiment  even  advanced  with  the  bayonet  be- 
yond the  shelter  of  the  houses,  only  that  it  might  be  charged  and 
overwhelmed  by  Milhaud's  cuirassiers.  No  man  amid  that  struggle 
staid  to  notice  that  thick  clouds  had  for  some  time  been  gathering 
over  the  field  ;  it  was  scarcely  felt  when  the  rain  came  down  in 
torrents  that  the  storm  had  burst.  But  neither  the  war  of  the 
elements  nor  the  obstinate  valor  of  the  Prussian  infantry  arrested 
the  progress  of  the  assailants,  who,  with  loud  cries  of  "  Vive 
1'Empereur  !"  carried  the  long-contested  post. 

While  the  force  which  thus  broke  through  his  centre  was  mus- 
tering, Blucher  had  directed,  and  to  a  certain  extent  carried  into 
effect,  a  fierce  attack  on  the  French  left.  The  manoeuvre  was, 
however,  but  partially  in  progress,  when  messenger  after  messen- 
ger came  at  speed  to  recall  him  to  Sombref,  on  which  Napoleon 
was  said  to  be  marching  at  the  head  of  his  guard.  Blucher  flew 
back  to  the  spot  where  danger  was  described  to  be  most  immi- 
nent ;  and  finding  three  cavalry  regiments  belonging  to  Zeiten's 
corps  intact,  he  directed  them  to  charge  the  head  of  the  column. 
They  did  so  ;  but  scarcely  with  sufficient  spirit.  The  enemy's  fire 
was  so  close  and  well  delivered,  that  many  men  and  oificers  fell  be- 
neath it,  and  the  remainder  wheeling  about,  went  off  as  rapidly  as 
they  had  approached.  This  had  occurred  twice,  when  Bliicher  in 
person  rallied  his  broken  squadrons,  and  himself  led  them  the  third 
time  into  action.  But  the  French  were  not  to  be  moved  :  they 
poured  in  again  such  a  musketry-fire  that  the  cavalry  recoiled  from 
before  it ;  and  the  Field  Marshal  carried  away  by  the  tide,  gal- 
loped, like  the  rest,  to  the  rear.  Just  then  his  horse  received  a 
mortal  wound,  which  entered  the  noble  animal's  left  side  near  the 
saddle  girth.  Blucher  felt  that  his  charger  was  checked,  and, 
applying  the  spur,  caused  it  to  make  two  or  three  convulsive 
plunges  forward,  but  beyond  this  the  strength  of  the  ani&nii 
would  not  carry  him.  It  reeled  and  staggered  under  its  rider , 


CHAP,  xii.]  BATTLE  OF  LIGNY.  J09 

while  close  behind  might  be  heard  the  tramp  of  the  French 
cuirassiers  as  they  thundered  in  pursuit.  "  Nostitz,"  cried  Blii- 
cher  to  his  aide-de-camp,  "  I  am  lost :  save  yourself;"  and  as  he 
spoke  his  horse  fell,  rolled  upon  its  right  side,  and  half  buried  him 
under  its  weight.  But  Count  Nostitz  paid  no  regard  to  the  gen- 
erous advice  thus  given.  He  leaped  from  the  saddle,  held  the 
bridle  of  his  own  horse  with  his  left  hand,  and  drawing  his  sword, 
placed  himself  over  the  body  of  his  fallen  commander,  determined 
to  defend  him  as  long  as  life  remained,  and  if  he  could  not  save 
to  die  with  him.  lie  had  scarcely  done  so  when  the  cuirassiers 
came  pouring  up  How  they  failed  to  notice  him  it  might  be 
hard  to  say.  Probably  they  were  too  much  intent  on  overtaking 
and  destroying  the  mass  to  pay  heed  to  an  individual,  whom,  if 
they  saw  him  at  all,  they  doubtless  imagined  to  be  wounded  :  but, 
however  this  may  be,  they  rushed  past  without  oifering  to  him  or 
to  his  chief  the  slightest  molestation.  Nostitz,  of  course,  stood 
stock  still.  It  was  not  his  business  to  attract  attention  ;  and  the 
better  to  hide  the  General  from  curious  eyes,  he  threw  a  cloak 
over  him.  But  his  heart  beat  quick  when  again  the  sound  ot 
horsemen  drew  near,  and  he  beheld  the  French  galloping  back, 
right  over  the  ground  which  they  had  previously  compassed. 
This  time,  however,  they  did  not  come  as  conquerors.  The 
Prussians  having  rallied,  charged  them  vigorously,  and  the  ranks 
of  the  cuirassiers  having  been  disturbed  in  a  previous  pursuit, 
they  retreated  with  precipitation.  Now  then  Count  Nostitz  hast- 
ened to  make  the  case  of  the  Field  Marshal  known  to  his  follow- 
ers. Haifa  dozen  stout  troopers  sprang  to  the  ground  :  they  re- 
moved the  dead  horse  by  sheer  strength  ;  and  lifting  their  General 
from  the  ground,  laid  him  upon  one  of  their  own  chargers  and  bore 
him  off.  Bliicher  was  insensible  when  first  extricated  from  be- 
neath his  dead  horse ;  but  his  consciousness  slowly  returned  as 
his  gallant  aide-de-camp  guided  him  towards  a  column  of  infantry, 
which  received  him  in  charge,  and  moved  off  with  him  to  the  rear 
just  as  the  French  had  begun  to  renew  their  attack,  and  Prussian 
t esbtance  was  constrained  to  grow  lax  before  it. 


HO  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xm. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

The  Night  after  the  Battle. 

THE  battle  of  Ligny  was  lost.  This  triumph  to  the  French 
arms  had  been  occasioned  by  the  success  of  a  manoeuvre  which 
was  not  properly  guarded  against,  perhaps  because  it  does  not 
seem  to  have  occurred  to  the  Prussian  General  that  it  would  be 
attempted.  But  the  defeat  was  neither  a  rout,  nor,  by  reason  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  blow  fell,  were  its  consequences  further 
to  be  deplored  than  that  morally  they  told  in  favor  of  the  French 
and  against  the  Allies.  That  alone  of  which  Bliicher  was  appre- 
hensive, and  to  guard  against  which  he  had  weakened  every  part 
of  his  line  save  one,  was  that  he  should  be  forced  into  a  line  of 
retreat  which  might  separate  him  from  the  English  ;  and  the 
direction  taken  by  the  Imperial  Guard  in  the  last  and  crowning 
charge  upon  Ligny  sufficiently  insured  that  no  such  calamity 
should  befall  him.  The  Prussian  army  was  in  some  sort  pierced  ; 
that  is  to  say,  there  was  free  access  to  the  assailants  up  the  face 
of  the  heights  as  far  as  Sombref ;  and  any  retreat  undertaken 
amid  the  first  panic  of  the  moment  would  have  necessarily  carried 
the  fugitives  into  two  diverging  roads.  Luckily  for  them,  how- 
ever, the  battle  had  been  maintained  till  the  last  glimmering  of 
twilight  died  out ;  and  the  Prussian  officers  took  advantage  of 
the  darkness  to  reorganize,  to  a  certain  extent,  their  shattered 
masses,  and  withdraw  them  simultaneously  along  the  roads  that 
had  been  previously  agreed  upon. 

The  Prussians  were  fairly  broken  in  the  centre.  They  held 
Sombref,  it  is  true,  with  great  tenacity  ;  neither  did  the  enemy 
succeed  throughout  the  night  in  making  a  lodgment  there,  but 
they  kept  it  merely  as  a  place  of  arms,  by  means  of  which  the 
communication  between  the  extreme  flanks  might  be  preserved. 
The  enemy,  on  the  other  hand,  not  only  threatened  this  place 


JHAP.  xm.J    THE  NIGHT  AFTER  THE  BATTLE  OP  LIGNY.        Ill 

but  turned  round  upon  the  villages  among  which  so  much  fight- 
ing had  bten  maintained,  and  compelled  the  Prussians  to  with- 
draw with  precipitation  from  the  whole  of  them.  Meanwhile 
Gen.  Thielmanu,  on  the  extreme  left,  as  he  had  never  been  seri- 
ously attacked,  nor  of  course  suffered  as  the  others  had  done, 
resolved  to  make  a  diversion  in  favor  of  his  more  hard-pressed 
comrades.  Accordingly  he  debouched  from  Mont  Pontriaux, 
and  commencing  a  stout  battle  in  the  dark,  carried  for  a  while 
all  before  him.  The  French  skirmishers  were  drivefi  in  by  two 
battalions.  These  next  encountered  a  regiment  of  dragoons, 
which  charged  them,  and  was  repulsed.  13y  and  by,  on  two 
separate  occasions  besides,  similar  attacks  were  made  upon  them 
with  a  similar  result ;  and  finally,  encountering  a  portion  of 
Lobau's  infantry,  they  took  it  in  flank  and  overthrew  it.  These 
were  gallant  exploits,  and  much  aided  the  exertions  of  Gens.  Von 
Jagow,  Krafft,  Von  Pirch,  and  others,  who  fought  to  extricate 
their  people  from  inclosures  which  had  ceased  to  be  tenable.  But 
the  Prussian  loss  was  necessarily  severe.  Over  and  above  the 
fugitives,  of  whom  every  army  engaged  throws  off  an  abundant 
crop,  there  had  fallen  in  the  fight  about  12,000  men,  and  21  pieces 
of  cannon  remained  in  the  enemy's  hands.  The  field  of  battle 
was  likewise  abandoned,  though  gradually.  The  right  wing  as- 
sembled in  tolerable  order  in  and  about  Bry  ;  the  centre  main- 
tained Sombref,  with  a  hollow  road  which  communicated  between 
that  place  and  Bry.  These  gradually  filed  off  towards  Tilly,  on 
the  road  to  Wavre,  leaving  Thielmann's  corps  on  the  right  to 
cover  the  movement.  As  was  to  be  expected,  the  retrogression 
of  masses  such  as  these  did  not  take  place  without  difficulty  or 
molestation.  The  enemy's  cavalry  hung  upon  their  rear,  forcing 
the  battalions  to  march  in  squares,  and  giving  ample  occupation 
to  the  horse,  who  bravely  succored  them  by  the  flank.  But  they 
made  no  serious  impression  ;  indeed,  they  were  repeatedly  driven 
off.  and  more  than  once  were  pursued  to  the  villages  which  had 
been  the  scene  of  the  day's  terrific  contest. 

The  result  was,  that,  about  midnight,  Vandammc's  corps  (the 
3rd)  bivouacked  in  advance  of  St.  Amand ;  Gerard's  corps  (the 
4th)  lay  upon  its  arms  in  front  of  Ligny;  and  the  Guards  occu- 


112  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xm. 

pied  the  heights  of  Bry.  Before  Gerard's  corps,  and  nearer  to 
Sombref,  Grouchy's  cavalry  halted  ;  while  Lobau's  corps,  which 
had  been  less  engaged  than  the  rest,  slept  around  its  fires  in  the 
valley  behind  Ligny.  With  respect  to  Napoleon  himself,  whether 
it  was  that  his  bodily  strength  failed  him,  or  that  he  saw  the  hope- 
lessness with  jaded  troops  of  any  further  exertion,  he  ceased  in  a 
moment  to  harass  the  Prussians.  He  did  not  so  much  as  feel 
for  them  with  patrols,  having  persuaded  himself  that  they  were 
in  full  retreat,  and  had  taken  the  road  which  he  wished  them  to 
take.  He  rode  back  to  Fleurus,  and  there  spent  the  night. 

While  the  Prussian  army  was  thus  fiercely  engaged  with  the 
main  body  of  the  French  under  Napoleon  in  person,  the  allies 
maintained  their  ground  against  Ney  at  Quatre  Bras ;  and  ulti- 
mately, as  has  been  related  in  a  previous  chapter,  compelled  him 
to  fall  back  beyond  the  position  which  he  had  occupied  at  Frasne 
previously  to  his  advance  in  the  morning.  Historians,  by  the 
silence  which  they  maintain  on  the  subject,  seem  indirectly  to 
teach  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  too  much  occupied  all  this 
while  with  his  own  battle  to  pay  any  regard  to  that  which  Bliicher 
was  waging.  This  is  a  great  mistake :  the  Duke  knew  that  his 
chivalrous  ally  had  made  up  his  mind  to  fight.  Neither  could  he 
be  ignorant,  from  the  appearance  of  the  enemy's  masses,  on  which 
he  looked  down  from  the  mill  of  Bussy,  of  the  time  when  in  all 
probability  the  struggle  would  begin.  He  returned,  therefore,  to 
his  own  people,  calculating  surely  on  events  which  came  to  pass 
almost  exactly  as  he  had  foreseen.  Moreover,  the  fields  of  action 
were  near  enough  the  one  to  the  other  to  permit  his  seeing,  from 
each  height  as  he  ascended  it,  the  smoke  of  the  battle  of  Ligny 
rise  in  thick  volumes  over  the  intervening  woods.  From  time  to 
time,  likewise,  when  a  lull  occurred  where  he  himself  was  sta- 
tioned, the  sound  of  the  French  and  Prussian  cannonade  reached 
him  plainly,  and  he  was  well  pleased  to  perceive  that  it  continued 
on  the  whole  stationary  ;  thus  indicating  that  the  Prussians  did 
their  duty  as  became  them,  and  well  sustained  the  military  char- 
acter of  their  nation.  However,  as  evening  wore  on,  these  sounds 
denoted  that  the  battle  was  rolling  backwards ;  and  sundry 
dispatches,  sent  to  him  by  Lord  Hardinge  (Sir  Henry  Hardingo 


CHAP,  xiii.]     THE  NIGHT  AFTER  THE  BATTLE  OP  LIGNY.         1 13 

in  these  days,  and  attached  to  Prince  Blucher's  head-quarters), 
informed  him  of  every  ebb  and  flow  throughout  the  mighty  strug- 
gle. Moreover,  he  saw,  through  his  glass,  the  failure  of  that 
cavalry-charge  which  led  to  Blucher's  misfortune,  and  immedi- 
ately preceded  the  general  retreat  of  his  army.  Indeed  the 
Duke  was  quite  aware  of  almost  all  that  was  passing  on  the 
heights  of  Ligny,  and  learned  after  night  fall,  from  a  short  note 
written  by  Hardinge  while  he  lay  mutilated  in  a  cottage,  that  the 
Prussians  were  overmatched.  Still  it  was  impossible  to  guess  the 
precise  extent  to  which  fortune  had  declared  against  them  ;  and 
circumstanced  as  his  own  army  was.  he  could  not,  till  day  should 
dawn,  venture  to  send  out  patrols,  or  by  any  other  direct  means 
strive  to  open  a  communication  with  Bliicher.  But  the  Duke 
was  nowise  disconcerted  by  this.  His  troops  were  arriving  from 
hour  to  hour  in  large  numbers.  All  the  cavalry,  with  the  mass 
of  the  British  and  German  infantry,  was  either  on  the  ground  or 
near  enough  to  be  brought  up  as  soon  as  they  might  be  required ; 
and  thus  concentrated,  he  knew  that  in  any  case  it  was  com- 
petent to  him  to  fight  or  to  retreat,  as  should  seem  most  expedient 
on  the  morrow.  Having,  therefore,  seen  his  outposts  well  ar- 
ranged, and  left  no  point  uncared  for  which  seemed  to  demand 
attention,  he  withdrew  to  a  fire  near  the  roadside  and  sat  down. 
Other  Generals  would  have  been  oppressed  with  anxiety  as  to 
what  the  morrow  might  bring  forth.  Had  it  been  Napoleon,  in 
the  days  of  his  early  glory,  of  whom  we  now  write,  it  would  have 
probably  been  our  duty  to  describe  him  as  poring  over  a  map  and 
measuring  with  a  pair  of  compasses  the  routes  and  distances  from 
one  portion  of  the  district  to  another.  But  the  Duke  seems 
always  to  have  possessed  the  rare,  and,  to  an  officer,  the  invalua 
ble  quality  of  relaxing  his  energies  as  soon  as  the  call  for  them 
was  over,  and  turning  his  thoughts  into  any  channel-which  hap- 
pened to  invite  them.  On  the  present  occasion  a  regiment  of 
eavalry,  the  12th,  happened  to  come  up  soon  after  he  had  taken 
his  seat.  It  was  commanded  by  one  of  the  bravest  soldiers, 
though  of  the  gentlest  nature,  that  ever  wore  a  British  uniform, 
Lieut.  Col.  the  Honorable  Frederick  Ponsonby,  who,  passing  over 
to  salute  his  friend  and  beloved  Commander,  found  him  busily 


114  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     fciiAp.  xm. 

engaged  in  the  perusal  of  some  English  newspapers.  A  packet 
had  just  reached  him,  and  the  Duke  began  upon  them  forthwith, 
reading  aloud,  and  indulging  in  many  a  good  joke  at  the  expense 
of  the  fears  of  the  home  government,  as  they  were  there  described. 
To  speak  of  such  a  man  as  at  any  moment  liable  to  be  surprised, 
is  to  exhibit  a  marvellously  slight  acquaintance  with  human  na- 
ture. He  who  is  surprised  must  lose  self-possession  ;  and  if  he 
be  attacked  in  some  manner  upon  which  he  had  never  calculated, 
his  means  of  repelling  the  attack  will  be  to  seek.  But  the  loss 
of  self-possession  can  hardly  be  predicated  of  one  who,  amid  the 
hurry  of  active  operations,  and  in  the  very  middle,  so  to  speak, 
of  a  battle,  is  able  to  amuse  himself  and  all  who  come  near  him, 
as  the  Duke  amused  that  night  his  staff,  and  the  gallant  soldier 
who  joined  himself  to  their  company. 

The  night  of  the  IGth.  which  the  Prussians  employed  in  ex- 
ecuting an  orderly  retreat,  was  spent  by  the  British  army  in 
quiet.  When  this  expression  is  used  to  denote  the  condition  of 
men  who  lie,  or  sleep,  on  the  ground  of  a  lately-fought  battle,  the 
reader,  not  practically  acquainted  with  war  and  its  results,  must 
accept  it  as  a  mere  term  of  convention.  It  means,  that  there  are 
uo  alarms  from  the  enemy — no  braying  of  bugles  or  rolling  of 
drums  amid  the  hours  of  darkness — no  cry  of  "  Stand  to  your 
arms  !"  or  other  notices  expressive  of  danger  near  at  hand  :  but 
of  quiet,  in  the  proper  acceptation  of  the  word,  troops  circum- 
stanced as  were  the  Allied  regiments  on  the  field  of  Quatre  Bras 
know  little.  Not  to  speak  of  the  perpetual  interruptions  to  sleep, 
occasioned  by  the  arrival  of  new-comers  from  the  rear,  the  heavy 
tramp  of  horses  passing,  the  rattle  of  steel  scabbards,  and  the 
lumbering  sound  of  cannon  and  ammunition-wagons,  there  are 
sounds  upon  the  night-air  which  effectually  break  in  upon  the 
composure  even  of  the  veteran.  When  the  battle  has  been  car- 
ried into  the  night  it  is  impossible  to  collect  the  wounded,  and 
bestow  them  all  in  places  of  shelter ;  and  very  piteous  are  the 
groans  and  cries  which  some  of  these  poor  fellows  send  forth  in 
their  agony.  Neither  is  it  an  agreeable  thing  to  find  the  regiment 
or  battalion  of  which  you  arc  a  member  halted,  and  desired  to 
make  itself  comfortable,  in  a  field  wet  with  the  blood,  and  cum- 


CHAP,  xiii.]    THE  NIGHT  AFTER  THE  BATTLE  OF  LIGNY.         115 

bercd  with  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  Moreover,  food  and  water 
may  alike  be  wanting- ;  and  hungry  men  will,  in  spite  of  much 
fatigue,  prowl  about,  as  far  as  a  regard  to  personal  safety  will 
admit,  in  search  of  these  things.  As  the  proceedings  incident  on 
these  contingencies  give  its  peculiar  hue  to  the  soldier's  manner 
of  existence,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  permit  one  of  the  body  to 
explain.  A  private  of  the  llth  Light  Dragoons,  who  with  his 
corps  had  compassed  that  day  about  forty  English  miles,  and 
arrived  at  Quatre  Bras  just  after  the  firing  had  ceased,  thus  de- 
scribes the  manner  in  which  he  spent  the  night : — 

u  The  horses,"  he  says,  "had  not  tasted  water  since  the  march 
began,  and  the  darkness  was  such  as,  combined  with  their  own 
weariness,  hindered  our  men  in  general  from  going  in  search  of 
it.  Again  the  habits  of  the  old  soldier  prevailed  with  me  ;  and 
knowing  that  on  the  efficiency  of  my  horse  my  own  would  abso- 
lutely depend,  I  resolved,  at  all  hazards,  to  fetch  him  some  water. 
Accordingly  I  proposed  to  my  comrade  that  we  should  steal  away 
together ;  and  he  consented  the  more  readily  on  my  putting  him 
in  mind,  that  the  same  process  which  gave  refreshment  to  our 
chargers  might  insure  a  good  supper  for  ourselves. 

"  Armed  each  with  a  pistol,  and  carrying  a  sack  and  leathern 
bucket  in  our  hands,  we  stole  from  the  bivouac,  and  having  pre- 
viously noticed  a  village  about  a  mile  distant,  we  made  for  that. 
We  entered,  and  found  the  stillness  of  the  grave  ;  but  by  and  by, 
observing  a  light  in  the  window  of  one  of  the  houses,  I  knocked 
at  the  door,  and  we  were  admitted.  My  astonishment  may  be 
conceived  when  the  first  object  that  met  my  gaze  was  a  French 
grenadier,  fully  accoutred  and  sitting  in  the  chimney  corner.  It 
was  no  time  for  hesitation,  so  I  cocked  my  pistol ;  whereupon  he 
rose,  bade  us  welcome  with  perfect  composure,  and,  pointing  to 
his  knee,  informed  us  that  he  was  wounded.  Perceiving  that  ho 
spoke  the  truth,  I  desired  him  to  sit  down  again,  adding  an  assur- 
ance that  he  had  nothing  to  fear ;  and  as  he  took  me  at  my  word, 
and  began  once  more  to  smoke  his  pipe,  I  addressed  ra3'self  to  the 
master  of  the  house :  but  it  was  to  no  purpose  that  I  demanded 
food  and  drink ;  he  assured  me  that  the  French  had  swept  his 
cupboard  bare  already,  which  proved  in  the  end  not  to  be  in  strict 


116  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  XIH. 

agreement  with  the  truth ;  for  while  I  kept  him  in  talk  my  com- 
panion  descended  to  the  cellar,  and  soon  returned,  bringing  with 
him  a  part  of  a  ham,  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  some  butter.  With 
these  we  judged  it  expedient  to  be  satisfied  ;  so  wishing  both  our 
host  and  the  wounded  Frenchman  good  night,  we  repassed  the 
threshold  and  took  the  direction  of  the  camp. 

"  One  object  of  our  excursion  was  thus  accomplished,  but  an- 
other, at  least  as  important,  remained  unfulfilled.  We  had  not 
discovered  any  water,  and  we  were  loath  to  return  to  our  panting 
horses  without  it.  We  looked  about,  therefore,  in  various  quar- 
ters ;  and  at  length,  to  our  great  joy,  discovered  a  wet  ditch. 
From  that  we  filled  our  buckets ;  and  the  poor  brutes  seemed  to 
thank  us,  as  they  sucked  it  up,  for  the  care  which  we  had  taken  of 
them.  Neither  did  we  conceal  from  our  officers  and  comrades  the 
treasure  on  which  we  had  fallen.  A  party  was  at  once  sent  out 
under  our  guidance  ;  and  the  chargers  of  the  1 1th  fared  that  night 
in  consequence  better,  I  am  apt  to  believe,  than  those  of  most  of 
the  other  regiments  then  in  position." 

It  is  the  custom  in  the  English  army,  and  probably  in  the 
other  armies  of  Europe,  that  troops  in  the  field  shall  stand  to 
their  arms  an  hour  before  daylight.  The  stir  which  usually  ac- 
companies this  arrangement  had  not  yet  occurred,  when  there 
began  at  the  outposts  an  irregular  firing,  concerning  which  it  was 
not  easy  to  guess  of  what  it  might  be  the  prelude.  Staff  officers 
rode  to  the  front,  and  among  them  Picton,  who  ascertained  that 
one  of  the  enemy's  patrols  had  shown  itself  between  the  pickets  ; 
that  the  shots  fired  on  the  English  side  were  answered  by  a  simi- 
lar salute  from  the  enemy  ;  and  that  the  fusillade  thus  taken  up 
near  Piermont  had  been  carried  all  along  the  extent  of  the  line. 
It  cost  some  lives,  which  proved  to  have  been  wantonly  sacrificed, 
for  no  movement  of  attack  was  meditated ;  but  it  was  not  permit- 
ted to  continue.  The  French,  like  the  English,  had  taken  the 
alarm.  They,  too,  had  officers  of  rank  at  hand,  and  both  parties 
exerting  themselves  to  put  a  stop  to  the  annoyance,  it  soon 
ceased. 

And  now  the  Duke  was  in  the  field.  lie  had  mounted  his 
horse  at  the  first  streak  of  dawn,  and  arrived  at  the  outposts  just 


CHAP,  xiii.]    THE  NIGHT  AFTER  THE  BATTLE  OF  LlGNY.         117 

as  Capt.  Wood,  of  the  10th  Hussars,  who  had  the  advanced 
picket  of  his  corps,  was  in  a  condition  to  convey  to  him  some  val- 
uable information.  Being  planted  on  the  Namur  road,  Capt. 
Wood  had  taken  upon  himself,  as  soon  as  there  was  light,  to  push 
forward  a  patrol  in  the  direction  of  the  Prussian  field  of  battle, 
and  had  thus  ascertained  that  the  Prussians  were  no  longer  in 
occupation  of  it.  The  Duke  immediately  ordered  a  squadron  of 
the  same  regiment,  under  Capt.  Grey,  to  repeat  the  experiment. 
He  sent  with  them  Lieut.  Col.  the  Hon.  Sir  Alexander  Gordon, 
one  of  his  aides-de-camp,  in  whom  he  had  great  confidence  ;  and 
having  fully  instructed  him  in  all  that  he  desired  to  have  done, 
mounted  a  height,  and  stood  to  observe  the  issue.  He  saw  Gordon 
move  cautiously  along  the  high  road,  and  a  French  vidette,  who 
occupied  the  face  of  the  hill  of  St.  Amand,  circle  as  if  to  give 
notice  to  his  own  people  of  the  proceeding.  He  observed  that 
other  French  troopers  showed  themselves,  and  retreated ;  and  by 
and  by  Gordon  and  his  escort  disappeared  over  the  ridge.  Gordon 
executed  his  mission  with  equal  sagacity  and  success.  He  pene- 
trated as  far  as  Sombref,  where  Gen.  Zicten  still  lingered,  and 
obtained  from  him  an  accurate  account,  as  well  of  all  that  had 
occurred  on  the  previous  day,  as  of  Bliichcr's  intentions  regarding 
the  future.  With  this  intelligence  he  rode  briskly  back,  and 
reached  the  Duke  of  Wellington  ur  molested. 


118  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  xi. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

Movement  on  Mont  St.  Jean. 

IT  had  formed  part  of  the  original  plan  of  the  campaign,  con- 
certed some  time  previously  to  the  advance  of  the  French  army, 
that  the  Allies  should  fight  a  battle  on  or  about  the  ground  where 
the  operations  of  Ligny  and  duatre  Bras  took  place  ;  and  that  in 
the  event  of  disaster,  or  the  chances  of  their  fighting  to  advantage 
failing,  that  they  should  fall  back  and  reunite  on  the  skirts  of  the 
forest  of  Soignies.  In  pursuance  of  this  design  Bliicher,  with  the 
main  body  of  his  army,  followed  in  retreat  the  great  road  by  Tilly 
upon  Wavre,  leaving  Gen.  Zieten  in  Sombref,  with  directions  not 
to  stir  till  the  morning  of  the  17th.  In  the  expectation  likewise 
that  Wellington  would  find  some  means  of  communicating  with 
that  officer,  he  desired  him  to  say  that  the  Prussians  were  in 
good  heart,  and  that  they  would  not  fail  to  support  their  friends 
wherever  the  latter  might  determine  to  make  a  stand.  Mean- 
while Gen.  Thielmann,  after  waiting  till  the  last  brigade  had  got 
clear  of  the  villages  on  his  right,  drew  off  in  good  order  towards 
Gcmbloux.  He  began  his  march  about  three  in  the  morning,  and 
accomplished  it  without  being  once  required  to  face  round  his 
rear  guard  or  bring  a  gun  into  battery ;  and  he  found  the  place, 
on  his  arrival,  filled  with  Billow's  corps,  which,  making  great  ex- 
ertions as  soon  as  the  real  nature  of  Blucher's  position  became 
known  to  them,  had  come  up  from  Hannut  during  the  night. 
Thus  far  the  ultimate  objects  which  both  Bliicher  and  Welling- 
ton had  in  view  were  as  little  interfered  with  as  if  no  battles  had 
been  fought.  They  were  still  in  connection — having  Brussels  in 
their  rear,  and  all  their  communications  with  England,  Holland, 
and  Germany  safe.  Not  a  magazine  or  depot  of  any  kind  had 
fallen  into  the  enemy's  hands ;  and  while  the  English  felt  em- 
boldened by  the  remembrance  of  their  successes  over  night,  the 
Prussians  gave  the  best  proof  that  failure  had  not  disheartened 


CHIP,  xiv.]  MOVEMENT  ON  MONT  ST.  JEAN.  119 

them.  Accordingly,  having  received  from  Col.  Gordon  a  distinct 
account  of  all  these  things,  the  Duke  of  Wellington  made  prepara- 
tions to  withdraw  to  a  position  which,  as  has  already  been  ex- 
plained, he  had  carefully  examined,  and  of  which  he  had  caused 
a  plan  to  be  made  out  ten  days  previously. 

There  was  no  occasion  for  haste,  however,  and  the  Duke  made 
none.  The  troops,  on  the  contrary,  were  ordered  to  cook  their 
dinners,  after  which,  about  an  hour  before  noon,  the  infantry  be- 
gan to  take  ground  to  the  rear.  But  there  were  other  divisions 
than  those  which  occupied  the  plateau  of  Quatre  Bras  to  be  put 
in  motion,  and  the  baggage,  which  in  great  quantities  covered  the 
roads,  must  needs  be  moved  off.  Concerning  these  last-mentioned 
objects  of  care,  explicit  directions  were  issued.  All  the  paths 
leading  to  and  through  Genappe  were  ordered  to  be  cleared ;  and 
every  cart,  wagon,  pack-horse,  and  carriage  not  absolutely  re- 
quired for  the  use  of  the  army,  was  swept  back  towards  Brussels. 
Then  followed  a  Memorandum  to  Lord  Hill  to  the  following 
effect : — 

"  17th  June,  1815. 

"  The  2nd  division  of  British  infantry  to  march  from  Nivelles  to  Waterloo 
at  ten  o'clock. 

"  The  brigades  of  the  4th  division,  now  at  Nivelles,  to  march  from  that  place 
on  Waterloo  at  ten  o'clock.  Those  brigades  of  the  4th  division  at  Braine-le- 
Comte,  and  on  the  road  from  Brainc-lc-Comte  to  Nivelles,  to  collect  and  halt 
at  Braine-Ic-Comte  this  day. 

"  All  the  baggage  on  the  road  from  Braine-Ie-Comte  to  Nivelles,  to  return 
immediately  to  Braine-le-Comte,  and  to  proceed  immediately  from  thence  to 
Hal  and  Bruxelles. 

"  The  spare  musket  ammunition  to  be  immediately  parked  behind  Genappe. 

"  The  corps  under  the  command  of  Prince  Frederick  of  Orange  will  move 
from  Enghien  this  evening,  and  take  up  a  position  in  front  of  Hal,  occupying 
Brainc-le-Chateau  with  two  battalions. 

"  Col.  Estroff  will  fall  back  with  his  brigade  on  Hal,  and  place  himself  un- 
der the,  orders  of  Prince  Frederick." 

I  laving  arranged  these  points  the  Duke  proceeded  to  settle  the 
order  in  which  his  army  should  retire,  and  he  directed  it  to  effect 
the  movement  in  two  columns;  the  brigades  which  constituted 
each  being  instructed,  in  case  of  pressure,  to  halt  and  form  up 


130  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xiv 

alternately,  so  as  to  show,  everywhere,  a  good  front  to  the  enemy. 
Meanwhile  the  infantry  pickets  stood  fast,  extending  all  the  way 
from  the  Bauterley  road,  a  little  beyond  the  right  of  the  wood 
of  Bossu,  to  the  left  of  the  Thyle  road,  within  which  the  farm  of 
Piermont  lay.  And  the  better  to  deceive  the  enemy  the  cavalry 
took  up  a  position  on  the  Narnur  road,  where  it  formed  in  two 
lines,  the  light  cavalry  in  front,  the  heavy  in  rear.  And  now  in 
the  full  blaze  of  day,  under  a  burning  sun,  over  the  face  of  which, 
however,  heavy  clouds  soon  began  to  collect,  the  Allied  army 
moved  off.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a  march  performed  with 
greater  deliberation  or  in  better  order.  One  column  of  infantry, 
with  its  guns,  followed  the  high  road  ;  and  in  spite  of  the  delay 
occasioned  by  the  narrowness  of  the  bridge  over  the  Genappe, 
and  the  not  less  inconvenient  size  and  shape  of  the  street  to 
which  it  conducts,  the  whole  mass,  comprising  two  British  and 
one  Dutch-Belgian  divisions,  besides  unattached  brigades  of 
Brunswickers  and  a  battalion  of  the  95th  Rifles,  gained  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  defile  without  appearing  to  have  been  noticed. 
The  other  column  took  a  cross-road  which  ran  westward  of  the 
chaussee  through  Sart-a-Mavelines  and  Bossy  upon  Wasis,  where 
lower  down  the  stream  than  Genappe  it  crossed  the  rivulet.  And 
now  the  light  infantry  gradually  fell  back,  leaving  the  cavalry  at 
the  outposts,  which  threw  out  pickets  to  relieve  those  of  their  dis- 
mounted comrades,  and  showed  a  bold  face  in  every  direction. 
The  Duke  remained  with  the  cavalry  till  between  three  and  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  He  kept  his  eye  all  the  while  upon  the 
enemy's  positions,  where  everything  continued  unaccountably 
quiet ;  till  by  and  by  heavy  columns  were  seen  to  move  along  the 
battle-field  of  Ligny,  and  then  to  separate.  One  portion  went 
forward  on  the  road  to  Wavres ;  another,  not  apparently  of  great 
strength,  turned  its  face  towards  Namur.  The  third  and  greatest 
moved  from  Sombref,  and  keeping  the  main  road,  evinced  a  dis- 
position to  fall  upon  the  left  flank  of  the  Allies.  When  he  first 
caught  sight  of  these  threatening  masses,  the  sun  was  shining 
brightly,  and  its  rays  glanced  back  from  their  arms  in  such  strong 
flashes,  that  the  Duke  naturally  mistook  them  for  infantry.  But 
a  little  closer  inspection  satisfied  him  that  the  head  of  the  column, 


CHAP.  xiv.J  MOVEMENT  ON  MONT  ST.  JEAN.  121 

at  all  events,  was  composed  of  cuirassiers,  from  whose  steel  corse- 
lets the  light  was  reflected  as  if  from  a  thousand  mirrors,  and  it 
soon  became  apparent  that  both  there  and  elsewhere  danger 
threatened.  Ncy,  too,  was  in  motion.  His  cavalry,  like  Napo- 
leon's, preceded  his  infantry,  doubtless  because  the  fact  of  the 
withdrawal  of  the  English  infantry  was  known  to  him  ;  and  the 
Duke,  having  waited  till  their  advanced  patrols  had  nearly  touched 
his  videttes,  gave  orders  to  retreat. 

If  the  infantry  had  marched  off  in  brilliant  order,  the  formation 
assumed  by  the  cavalry,  under  the  immediate  directions  of  Lord  • 
Uxbridge,  was  not  lest  striking.  There  was  some  skirmishing, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  on  and  about  the  two  great  roads.  The 
pickets  did  not  come  on  without  firing  a  few  shots  ;  but  it  was 
Lord  Uxbridgc's  wish  to  unite  his  strength  with  as  little  delay  as 
possible,  and  to  carry  it  intact  towards  a  field  where  it  would  be 
enabled  to  act  to  better  purpose.  Accordingly  he  threw  his  horse- 
men into  three  columns ;  one  of  which,  consisting  entirely  of 
heavy  cavalry,  was  instructed  to  follow  the  main  road,  and  to  pass 
through  Genappe  by  the  bridge.  On  the  right,  taking  for  a  while 
the  same  route  with  the  infantry,  the  brigades  of  Vivian  and  Van- 
deleur  formed  ;  and  to  them  it  was  given  in  charge,  that  they 
should  move  on  Thuy  and  there  cross  the  stream.  The  left,  also 
composed  of  light  cavalry,  was  to  make  its  way  to  a  ford  above 
the  town  ;  while  the  whole  were  covered  by  the  23rd  Light  Dra- 
goons on  the  left,  and  by  the  7th  Hussars — taken  from  Major- 
Gen.  Sir  Colquhoun  Grant's  brigade — on  the  centre,  and  par- 
tially to  the  right.  With  these  columns,  and  with  the  corps 
composing  the  rear-guards,  moved  several  troops  of  horse  artil- 
lery, which,  on  the  present  as  on  all  other  occasions,  did  good  ser- 
vice, and  earned  for  themselves  the  admiration  both  of  friends 
and  foes. 

The  retreat  of  the  cavalry  was  as  regular  as  if  it  had  been  a 
series  of  movements  on  parade.  Occasionally  the  rearmost  troop 
or  section  of  the  retiring  force  would  be  charged  ;  when,  after 
offering  as  much  resistance  as  they  could,  the  overmatched  troop- 
ers would  gallop  back  upon  their  supports.  But  these  never 
failed  them  ;  and  once,  at  least,  two  whole  brigades — Vivian's  and 

6 


122  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  sir, 

Vandeleur's — continued,  during  a  good  while,  a  series  of  demon- 
strations which  foreboded  sharper 'work  in  the  end.  Vivian  had 
drawn  up  the  18th  Hussars  upon  a  somewhat  advantageous  posi- 
tion ;  and  observing  that  the  enemy  would  take  no  denial,  gave 
the  word,  "  Make  ready  to  charge."  Meanwhile  the  horse  artil- 
lery attached  to  his  brigade  unlimbcred,  and  opened  upon  the 
enemy's  column  a  well  directed  fire.  But  scarcely  was  this  begun, 
when  the  clouds,  heavily  laden  with  electric  matter,  which  had 
gathered  over  the  heads  of  the  combatants  in  masses,  burst.  It 
is  well  known  that  the  fire  of  artillery  produces  this  effect ;  and 
on  the  present  occasion  there  accompanied  the  thunder-storm 
such  a  torrent  of  rain,  as  in  five  minutes  converted  every  meadow 
and  corn-field  into  a  bog.  The  consequence  was,  that  cavalry 
manoeuvring  became  henceforth  impossible,  except  upon  the  hard 
roads.  Elsewhere  the  horses  sank  at  every  stride  up  to  their 
knees  ;  and  the  18th,  feeling  how  impossible  it  was  to  charge, 
broke  once  more  into  column  and  moved  to  the  rear. 

Amid  this  furious  deluge  the  troops  pursued  their  march — the 
enemy  hanging  on  their  rear,  but  never  closing  with  them.  The 
column  on  the  right  of  the  road  had,  indeed,  enough  to  do  to  ef- 
fect the  passage  of  the  Genappc  without  a  battle  ;  but  the  centre 
and  the  left  both  pursued  their  way  almost  entirely  unmolested. 
The  7th  Hussars  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  force,  which  moved 
by  the  great  road,  continuing  on  the  French  side  of  the  bridgo 
after  all  the  other  regiments  had  passed  ;  and  eventually  squad 
ron  after  squadron  fell  back  across  the  stream,  till  only  one  re- 
mained. But  it  was  admirably  manoeuvred,  more  especially  the 
troop  of  which  the  Earl  of  Portarlington,  thcu  Lieut.  Standish 
O'Grady,  was  in  command  ;  and  narrow  as  the  bridge  was,  and 
overwhelming  the  numbers  of  the  pursuers,  not  a  man  or  horso 
remained  behind.  And  now,  for  the  first  time,  a  somewhat  sharp 
encounter  took  place.  Lord  Uxbridge,  perceiving  that  a  large 
force  of  French  cavalry  had  poured  into  Genappe,  and  that  it  was 
followed  by  the  great  bulk  of  that  portion  of  the  French  army 
which  moved  by  the  Charleroi  road,  determined  to  make  a  dash 
at  them  ;  being  apprehensive  lest,  by  pushing  him  too  sharply, 
they  might,  perhaps,  hurry  the  arrangements  of  the  Commander- 


CHAP,  xiv.]  MOVEMENT  ON  MONT  ST.  JEAN.  123 

in-chief.  And  the  ground  being  particularly  favorable  to  him, 
he  formed  his  troops  so  as  to  make  the  most  of  it. 

About  six  or  seven  hundred  yards  from  the  town,  and  on  tho 
summit  of  a  range  of  heights  which  overlook  it,  the  heavy  brigades 
of  Lord  Edward  Somerset  and  Sir  William  Ponsonby  were  drawn 
up.  In  front  of  them  a  little  way  the  23d  Light  Dragoons  were 
halted,  and  the  7th  Hussars  formed  lino  just  outside  the  town 
These  formations  might  have  been  completed  about  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  when  loud  shouts  arose,  and  presently  the  head  of  a 
dense  column  of  French  lancers  emerged  from  behind  the  street. 
One  squadron  of  the  7th  acted  as  a  sort  of  picket  or  rear-guard 
to  the  rest.  It  was  charged  in  a  very  irregular  manner,  by  a 
crowd  of  horsemen,  who  dashed,  as  it  appeared,  without  instruc- 
tions or  order,  out  of  the  French  ranks.  Almost  to  a  man  they 
were  made  prisoners,  and  proved  to  be  mad  with  drink.  Tho 
column,  however,  did  not  move  on — at  least  in  its  front.  This 
had  halted  as  soon  as  the  English  cavalry  came  in  sight ;  and  aa 
there  was  no  check  in  rear,  and  the  street  was  narrow  and  con- 
fined, sixteen  squadrons  soon  became  jammed  together  in  a  dense 
mass.  It  was  at  this  moment  that  Lord  Uxbridge,  perceiving 
the  state  of  things,  ordered  the  covering  squadron  of  the  7th  to 
charge.  Doubtless,  had  the  body  attacked  been  different  from 
what  it  was,  or  any  opportunity  been  afforded  of  getting  at  it  by 
the  flank,  the  charge  would  have  proved  decisive.  But  the  enemy 
consisted  entirely  of  lancers  ;  and  their  stationary  attitude,  so  far 
from  affecting  them  injuriously,  told  in  their  favor.  With  a  che- 
vaux-de-frise  extended,  and  upheld  by  the  crowds  that  thronged 
them  in  their  rear,  the  leading  troop  received  the  hussars  as  tho 
rock  receives  the  wave.  No  impression  could  be  made  upon  them ; 
and  though  the  assailauts  displayed  extreme  gallantry,  losing  a 
good  many  men  and  one  excellent  officer,  they  were  forced  to 
retire. 

Meanwhile  the  French  having  established  a  battery  of  horse- 
artillery  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Gcnappe,  opened  a  brisk  fire 
upon  the  English  cavalry  reserves,  and  did  some  damage,  and 
occasioned  more  confusion,  of  which  their  lancers  taking  ad- 
vantage,  pushed  on ;  but  they  made  little  by  their  movement  in 


124  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xiv. 

attack.  The  7th  met  them  half  way,  and  drove  them  back ; 
whereupon  they  again. rallied  among  the  houses,  and  again  were 
the  7th  in  their  turn  compelled  to  give  ground.  Immediately 
the  enemy  changed  their  tactics,  and  deploying  their  column,  as 
it  gained  the  end  of  the  street,  soon  presented  such  a  line  to  the 
hussars,  that  the  latter  saw  the  impossibility  of  coping  with  it. 
Nor  was  it  necessary  that  they  should.  Lord  Uxbridge  had 
waited  for  this  information,  and  knew  how  to  deal  with  it. 
Causing  the  hussars  to  move  aside,  and  to  form  in  a  field  a  little 
removed  from  the  road,  he  launched  the  1st  Life  Guards,  sup- 
ported by  the  23rd,  at  the  lancers;  and  in  five  minutes  the  latter 
were  ridden  down  or  dispersed,  and  fleeing  in  all  directions. 
The  Life  Guards  followed  them  into  the  town,  hewing,  slashing, 
and  driving  everything  before  them,  till  they  fairly  pushed  the 
survivors  across  the  stream,  and  were  themselves  with  difficulty 
halted  at  the  edge  of  it. 

From  that  time  the  enemy's  pursuit  was  much  more  cautious 
as  well  as  more  distant.  lie  brought  his  guns  to  the  front, 
between  which  and  the  English  horse  artillery  a  smart  duel 
ensued ;  but  his  cavalry  threatened  much  more  than  they  strove 
to  perform,  and  were  easily  kept  in  check  by  the  dispositions 
which  were  from  time  to  time  made  to  receive  them.  At  last, 
however,  Lord  Uxbridge  having  satisfied  himself  that  there  was 
no  danger  to  his  flanks  on  ground  so  deep  as  under  the  heavy 
rain  of  the  afternoon  the  fields  on  either  side  had  become,  gradu- 
ally drew  in  his  regiments,  and  formed  one  continuous  column  on 
the  high  road.  This  he  covered  with  the  light  cavalry,  having 
the  Household  Brigade  in  support ;  and  the  whole,  without  further 
loss  or  any  serious  molestation,  filed  into  position  on  the  heights 
of  Mont  St.  Jean. 


our.  xv.]       STATE  OF  FEELING  IN  BRUSSELS,  &c.  125 


CHAPTER    XV. 

State  of  Feeling  where  the  War  was  not. 

WHILE  the  war  thus  swayed  to  and  fro  at  Ligny,  Quatre  Bras. 
and  the  places  adjacent,  the  state  of  Brussels  and  of  all  tl>*> 
towns  in  the  rear  was  terrible.  From  the  hour  when  the  leading 
regiments  of  the  reserve  filed  out  of  the  Park,  the  Belgian  capital 
in  particular  became  a  scene  of  the  most  painful  excitement. 
Backwards  and  forwards — from  street  to  street — and  from  house 
to  house — people  wandered  to  ask  for  news  and  to  retail  rumors. 
Numbers  on  horseback  and  in  carriages  followed  the  track  of 
the  column,  and  returned  one  by  one,  and  at  intervals  more  or 
less  wide,  to  swell  the  tide  of  popular  alarm ; — for  they  had  seen 
no  enemy,  nor  learned  from  the  reports  of  others  more  than  that 
a  crisis  was  impending,  and  that  its  results  were  quite  uncertain. 
Nor  was  it  exclusively  upon  the  non-combatant  part  of  the  popu- 
lation that  the  call  to  arms  came  suddenly.  Many  officers,  and 
among  others  Sir  Thomas  Picton,  had  reached  Brussels  only  on 
tlie  evening  of  the  15th,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  found 
themselves  in  full  march  against  the  enemy.  Indeed  it  is  well 
remembered  in  Canterbury  to  this  day,  that  just  one  week  after 
the  gallant  leader  of  the  3rd  division  dined  at  the  Fountain  Hotel 
on  his  way  to  the  Low  Countries,  his  body,  pierced  with  wounds, 
was  brought  back  to  the  same  hotel  on  its  way  to  the  mausoleum 
within  which  it  now  rests. 

The  hour  which  immediately  succeeded  the  muster  of  the  re- 
serve was  one  of  great  bustle  and  interest  in  Brussels.  It  takes 
some  time  to  move  a  division  of  infantry  out  of  a  town  and  along 
a  road  of  not  more  than  ordinary  width  ;  and  the  regiments, 
though  they  filed  off  as  fast  as  their  ranks  could  be  formed,  went 
but  gradually.  Nevertheless  the  rearmost  of  the  whole  disap- 
peared at  last,  and  then  the  scene  shifted.  There  was  no  more 


C2G  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  XT 

bustle  now.  Park,  square,  street,  Place  Pi,oyale,  and  indeed  the 
whole  town,  seemed  to  become  in  a  moment  deserted,  for  they 
who  had  turned  out  to  take  perhaps  a  last  farewell  of  friends  and 
relatives  thus  suddenly  removed  from  them,  hurried  back  as  soon 
as  the  parting  was  over  to  the  privacy  of  their  own  apartments. 
Hence,  from  early  morning  till  long  past  noon,  Brussels  presented 
the  appearance  of  a  city  devastated  by  plague.  The  shops  were 
not  opened,  and  no  manner  of  business  went  on — the  very  market- 
people,  after  lingering  for  a  while  beside  their  unvisited  stalls, 
packed  up  their  wagons  again  and  drove  them  home. 

The  troops  were  all  gone — all  except  a  few  mounted  officers, 
who,  conscious  of  their  ability  to  overtake  their  corps  at  any  mo- 
ment, lingered  yet  a  little  while  in  the  society  of  their  kindred 
or  families.  One  by  one  these  in  due  time  departed ;  and  if  a 
few  came  back,  it  was  merely  to  say  that  the  men  had  been  or- 
dered to  halt  and  cook,  and  that  they  proposed  to  join  them 
again  at  a  place  called  Waterloo.  And  so  the  day  wore  on.  But 
a  good  many  hours  of  light  were  yet  before  tlrcm,  when  fresh  - 
rumors,  repeated  by  sterner  tongues,  reached  the  lingerers  in 
Brussels.  About  half-past  two  or  three  in  the  afternoon,  the 
noise  of  firing  came  back  upon  the  breeze.  Then  were  the  streets 
filled  again  with  anxious  listeners.  Men  and  women  ran  to  the 
Park,  where  it  was  said  that  the  sounds  were  most  audible  ;  and 
sure  enough  there  greeted  them  there  a  tumult  of  battle  so  inces- 
sant that  it  resembled  more  the  sound  of  distant  thunder  than 
the  noise  of  a  cannonade. 

The  terror — the  agony  of  many  who.  heard  that  sound — no 
words  may  describe.  To  their  dying  hour  they  never  can  forget 
it ;  for  besides  that  almost  all  were  more  or  less  interested  in  the 
safety  of  individuals  around  whom  the  iron  hail  was  sweeping, 
the  sense  of  danger  to  themselves  was  the  more  overwhelming 
that  it  took  no  definite  form.  Suspense  on  such  occasions  is  far 
more  difficult  to  endure  than  the  wildest  reality;  and  when,  as 
the  evening  drew  on,  rumors  of  the  most  sinister  kind  began  to 
thicken — when  stories  got  into  circulation  of  defeat  to  the  Eng- 
lish and  of  an  immediate  advance  by  the  French — the  fears, 
especially  of  the  women,  were  wrought  up  to  such  a  pitch  as  to 


CIIAP.  xv.J      STATE  OF  FEELING  IN  BRUSSELS,  &c.  l'J7 

set  all  the  restraints  of  common  sense  at  defiance.  Nobody 
could  stay  at  home — all  were  abroad,  listening  and  marvelling 
how  near  or  how  far  away  the  battle  might  be  ;  and  as  darkness 
itself  brought  for  a  while  no  cessation  to  the  cannonade,  so  in 
darkness  these  unhappy  creatures  continued  to  exercise  a  vigi- 
lance which  led  to  no  satisfactory  issue. 

At  length  the  roar  of  cannon  ceased  ;  and,  worn  out  with  ex- 
citement, people  returned  to  their  homes,  and  by  and  by  lay 
down.  Few,  however,  had  slept;  when  about  midnight  there 
arose  such  a  thunder  of  heavy  carriage-wheels  from  the  streets 
that  all  were  roused  immediately.  Hundreds  of  casements  flew 
open  at  once,  and  hundreds  of  heads  protruded  from  them,  looked 
down,  and  saw  artillery,  spring-wagons,  tumbrils,  and  other  mu- 
nitions of  war  hurrying  as  fast  as  horses  could  drag  them  through 
the  town.  "  It  is  all  over  now,"  cried  many  voices  at  once  ;  "  the 
army  is  defeated,  and  these  are  the  remains  of  the  artillery  try- 
ing to  escape  the  fate  which  has  overtaken  their  comrades." 
Then  might  be  seen  in  the  passages  of  hotels,  in  the  gate-ways 
of  private  houses,  and  about  stable-yards,  delicate  women  as  well 
as  timid  men,  rushing  half  dressed  as  from  instant  destruction. 
"  Let  the  carriage  be  got  ready  immediately — the  French  are 
upon  us."  "  Who  will  get  me  four  horses — two  horses — one 
horse?"  "I  will  give  any  price  for  a  vehicle,  so  that  it  be 
brought  immediately."  Such  exclamations  as  these  resounded 
everywhere ;  and  when  the  wants  of  the  clamorer  were  not  in- 
stantly supplied  confusion  became  tenfold  more  confounded.  At 
length  the  truth  came  out.  The  artillery  which  passed  with  such 
speed  through  the  town  was  not  fleeing,  but  advancing.  It  had 
come  up  from  the  rear  by  forced  marches,  and  by  forced  marches 
was  hurrying  to  the  front ;  so  that  whatever  the  ultimate  issue 
of  the  strife  might  be,  the  English  were  certainly  not  yet  cut 
to  pieces.  Comforted  by  this  assurance,  such  as  had  the  most 
courage  went  back  to  their  chambers  and  slept.  Others  sat  in 
their  clothes,  and  kept  the  carriages  and  baggage-wagons  ready ; 
while  the  more  timid,  adhering  to  the  resolution  previously 
formed,  hurried  off  and  made  the  best  of  their  way  to  England. 

So  passed  the  night  of  the  10th — in  anxiety  to  the  bravest — 


128  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xv. 

in  the  bitter  agony  of  fear  to  those  whose  nerves  were  less  tensely 
etrung.  The  morning  of  the  17th  did  not  bring  with  it  ground 
of  increased  assurance  to  the  one  class,  or  any  source  of  comfort 
to  the  other  ;  for  about  six  o'clock  a  body  of  Belgian  horse  rushed 
wildly  into  Brussels,  exclaiming  that  the  French  were  at  their 
heels.  Immediately  the  whole  population  was  astir  again.  The 
carriages  and  wagons  which  had  stood  for  several  hours  in  the 
great  square  now  received  their  contents  and  galloped  off!  The 
people  fled  on  foot,  not  seeming  to  care  for  anything  except  the 
preservation  of  their  lives.  Of  the  wealthier  burgher  classes  , 
many  declared  their  determination  of  remaining  beside  their 
property,  and  taking  their  chance.  Others  not  so  philosophical, 
hastened  to  conceal  such  valuables  as  could  be  got  out  of  the 
way,  and  then,  laden  with  plate,  or  possibly  jewels,  fled  with  the 
mob.  13ut  not  altogether  universal  was  this  horror  of  the  invad- 
ers. Among  other  acts  by  which  he  disgusted  the  army,  Louis 
XVIII.  had  summarily  dismissed  from  the  service  all  officers 
who  were  not  Frenchmen  born.  Now,  a  good  many  Belgians 
had  served  under  Napoleon,  and  were  found  in  the  ranks  at  the 
period  of  the  Restoration ;  and  these  going  home  to  their  own 
country,  carried  with  them  an  intense  hatred  of  the  government 
which  had  sent  them  adrift.  Many  of  them  having  been  cog- 
nizant of  the  plot  laid  in  Elba,  were  in  correspondence  to  the 
last  with  Napoleon's  emissaries,  and  had  given  the  assurance  that 
as  soon  as  the  Emperor  made  his  way  to  Brussels  they  would 
pass  under  his  standard,  and  bring  plenty  of  recruits  with  them. 
Such  men  were  of  course  in  ecstasies  when  tidings  of  the  French 
successes  reached  them,  though  they  were  not  fated  to  enjoy  their 
triumph  many  hours. 

Such  was  the  state  of  Brussels  when,  about  seven  o'clock,  or 
a  little  later,  an  officer  attached  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington's 
staff  arrived  from  the  front.  He  had  been  sent  back  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  distribution  of  the  baggage,  which,  as  has 
already  been  shown,  was  on  its  march  to  the  rear,  and  was  con- 
founded by  the  appearances  of  absolute  dismay  which  everywhere 
met  him.  He  exerted  himself,  and  not  altogether  without  suc- 
cess, to  allay  the  tumult.  At  the  same  time,  when  by  and  by 


CHAP,  xv.]      STATE  OP  FEELING  IN  BRUSSELS,  &c.  12> 

wagon-loads  of  wounded  began  to  arrive,  the  fears  of  some,  and 
the  more  sickly  sentiinentalism  of  others,  quite  overcame  them. 
In  spite  of  his  assurances  that  there  had  been  no  defeat — that 
the  English  on  the  contrary,  had  stood  their  ground,  and  that  he 
had  left  them  but  a  few  hours  previously  drawn  up  in  increased 
numbers  to  renew  the  battle — all  who  had  the  means  took  to 
flight,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day  Brussels  was  left  to  the  pos- 
session of  but  a  portion  of  its  native  inhabitants. 

At  the  period  of  which  we  are  writing,  the  communication 
between  England  and  the  Continent,  though  regular,  was  not 
such  as  it  is  now.  With  the  difficulties  of  adverse  winds  and 
stormy  waters  to  surmount,  even  the  hardy  smugglers  from  either 
shore  would  sometimes  be  whole  days  without  crossing.  Steam 
navigation  was  as  yet  untried  in  Europe.  Packet-boats  were  in- 
deed well  managed  and  tolerably  regular  in  regard  to  their  days 
of  sailing,  but  then  they  could  not  make  the  passage  under  a  cer- 
tain number  of  hours  from  Ostend,  and  might  be  several  days  in 
effecting  it.  In  London,  therefore,  there  were  as  yet  no  authentic 
tidings  to  refer  to,  though  a  thousand  rumors  had  been  afloat 
ever  since  the  meeting  of  the  Champ-de-Mai,  and  each  new  hour 
added  to  the  number.  Now  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
the  English  Government  and  public  should  not,  at  so  critical  a 
moment,  be  subjected  to  a  panic ;  and  yet  there  seemed  to  be 
every  probability  of  the  evil  befalling.  The  fugitives  from  Brus- 
sels were  not  likely  to  underrate  the  extent  of  the  danger  to 
which  they  had  yielded ;  and  coming  as  they  did  from  the  scat  of 
war,  their  tales,  however  groundless,  would  be  credited.  It  so 
happened  that  among  those  whom  a  laudable  curiosity  or  the  ties 
of  friendship  had  carried  at  this  time  to  the  Low  Countries,  the 
Right  Honorable  Maurice  Fitzgerald,  Knight  of  Kerry,  was  one ; 
and  he  was  enabled,  by  reason  of  his  intimacy  with  most  of  the 
leading  actors  in  the  drama,  to  do  his  country  good  service.  The 
circumstances  were  these. 

The  Knight  of  Kerry  had  gone  from  Brussels  to  Quatre  Bras 
on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  and  remained  upon  the  ground  till 
the  cavalry  began  its  retreat.  "  He  then  returned  to  Brussels, 
having  promised  to  visit  his  friend,  Sir  Charles  Colvillo,  next  day 

6* 


130  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  xv. 

at  bis  post,  whether  at  Hal  or  Enghien,  or  between  them,  on  the 
right  of  the  new  position  which  the  army  was  about  to  take  up. 
In  pursuance  of  this  arrangement,  he  rose  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  and,  accompanied  by  the  late  Marquess  of  Ormonde,  got 
into  a  carriage.  Important  business  required,  however,  that  be- 
fore visiting  Colville,  he  should  repair  to  Ghent;  and  as  he  found, 
upon  inquiry,  that  the  direct  road  might  be  difficult  of  passage, 
he  proceeded  in  the  first  instance  to  Antwerp.  The  Knight's 
account  of  all  that  followed  having  already  appeared  in  print, 
there  seems  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  inserted  here ;  and 
its  details  are  by  far  too  important,  as  well  as  too  interesting,  to 
sanction  any  attempt  at  abridgment. 

"We  arrived  at  Antwerp,"  says  he,  "about  five  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  after  refreshing  ourselves,  and  looking  at  the  cathedral 
for  about  an  hour,  we  proceeded  to  Ghent  as  fast  as  we  could, 
and  arrived  there  about  two  o'clock.  We  dined  with  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  29th  regiment,  who  had  been  an  old  ac- 
quaintance of  Lord  Ormonde.  We  engaged  a  carriage,  and 
arranged  to  proceed  after  midnight  for  the  division  of  the  army 
under  Gen.  Colville.  I  was  just  entering  the  hotel  between  six 
and  seven  o'clock,  in  order  to  go  to  bed,  when  Sir  Pulteney  Mal- 
colm drove  up  from  Brussels.  I  told  him  our  plan,  when  he 
earnestly  entreated  me  to  wait  till  he  had  returned  from  the 
King  of  France,  then  at  Ghent,  to  whom  he  was  going  to  convey 
a  message  from  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  I  waited  accordingly ; 
on  his  return  he  pressed  me,  in  the  most  earnest  manner,  to  pro- 
ceed to  London,  and  communicate  to  the  Government  what  had 
occurred.  He  argued  the  necessity  of  such  a  course,  from  the 
Duke  of  Wellington  having  declared  to  him  that  morning,  that 
he  would  not  write  a  line  till  he  had  fought  a  battle  ;  and  from 
the  false  and  mischievous  rumors  which  had  circulated  and  gone 
to  England,  and  the  total  ignorance  of  the  English  Government 
as  to  what  had  taken  place.  He  said  that  he  was  desirous  of 
writing  to  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty ;  but  that  etiquette 
precluded  his  entering  into  any  details  on  military  affairs  when 
the  General  had  not  written  ;  that  if  I  consented  I  would  greatly 
relieve  the  Government,  and  do  essential  public  service,  as,  inde- 


•:*u».  xv.]       STATE  OF  FEELING  IN  BRUSSELS,  &c.  131 

oeudenMy  of  the  Prussian  case,  of  which  I  knew  more  than  any 
Dthcr  individual  could  communicate  to  the  Government,  there 
irera  subjects  of  a  most  confidential  nature,  which  he  would  in- 
trust to  nee  to  be  told  to  Lord  Castlereagh,  our  Foreign  Minister : 
that  ho  would  put  me  into  a  sloop  of  war  at  Ostcnd,  and  send 
me  across  at  once.  I,  however,  rather  reluctantly  assented.  He 
then  told  me  that  ho  had  left  the  Duke  at  half-past  ten  that 
morning,  with  the  army  in  position  on  ground  which  he  had 
already  examined,  determined  to  give  battle,  and  confident  of 
success,  and  that  lie  was  in  military  communication  with  Mar- 
shal Bliicher. 

"  We  accordingly  changed  our  route,  and  proceeded  at  once 
to  Ostend,  where  the  Admiral  wrote  a  few  lines,  merely  saying 
that  Bonaparte  had  defeated  the  Prussians  with  great  loss,  that 
the  Duke  was  in  position,  as  described  before,  and  that  he  had 
prevailed  upon  the  Knight  of  Kerry  to  convey  this  dispatch, 
who  also  could  furnish  all  particulars  which  were  as  yet  known 
for  the  information  of  Government.  We  had  rather  a  slow  pas- 
sage. After  we  were  under  •  weigh,  a  gendarme,  with  some  mail- 
bags,  overtook  the  vessel,  and  said  reports  had  just  arrived  that 
the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  driving  the  French  at  all  points. 
We  proceeded  at  once,  after  landing  at  Deal,  to  town,  and  arrived 
at  the  Admiralty  at  half-past  four,  Tuesday,  June  20.  Lord 
Melville  had  gone  to  the  House  of  Lords,  whither  I  followed  him ; 
and  on  receiving  the  dispatch  he  immediately  summoned  the 
Cabinet  Ministers  from  both  houses  to  meet  in  the  Chancellor's 
room,  which  they  did  instantly. 

"I  was  requested  to  communicate  the  particulars  referred  to 
in  Admiral  Malcolm's  letter.  I  said,  In  order  to  avoid  saying 
anything  unnecessary,  I  desired  to  know  how  far  the  Cabinet 
was  already  informed  of  what  had  occurred  ?  Lord  Liverpool 
said  that  they  knew  nothing.  I  asked  if  they  had  not  heard  of 
the  battle  with  the  Prussians?  He  said,  'No.'  I  then  asked. 
Had  they  not  heard  that  Napoleon  had  moved  his  army  ?  Ho 
said  that  reports  by  smugglers  to  that  effect  had  come  across,  but 
that  nothing  was  certain.  I  then  gave  a  detail  of  all  the  cir- 
cumstances that  had  come  to  my  knowledge,  and  endeavored 


132  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  XT. 

to  impress  on  them  the  utmost  confidence  in  tlie  success  of  the 
Duke  of  Wellington  in  any  battle  that  might  take  place.  I 
stated  the  nature  of  the  driving  in  of  the  Prussians  on  the  15th, 
as  explained  to  me  by  the  commandant  at  Mons.  I  was  enabled 
to  describe  very  particularly  the  glorious  battle  of  Quatre  Bras, 
as  given  to  me  by  a  gallant  officer  of  the  Rifle  Brigade,  who  was 
near  the  Duke  during  its  continuance,  and  who  was  wounded 
there ;  he  gave  me  a  very  clear  account  of  the  action,  and  af- 
firmed that  he  had  never  seen  his  Grace  expose  himself  so  much 
personally,  or  so  thoroughly  direct  every  part  of  the  operations, 
in  any  of  the  Peninsular  fights  with  which  he  was  familiar.  I 
explained,  on  Sir  Colin  Campbell's  authority,  the  Duke's  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  ground  which  he  had  occupied  on  the  morning 
of  Sunday  the  18th. 

"  Ministers  expressed  their  great  relief  and  gratification  at  the 
intelligence  I  had  furnished,  as  the  town  had  been  inundated 
with  the  most  alarming  and  dangerous  rumors,  and  that  from 
the  length  of  time  since  they  had  received  any  positive  intelli- 
gence from  the  Duke  of  "Wellington,  considerable  anxiety  un- 
doubtedly t existed,  but  that  I  had  effectually  removed  it.  On 
the  following  morning  early  I  called  upon  Lord  Castlereagh,  be- 
fore he  went  to  his  office.  I  asked  him  whether  he  thought  1 
had  impressed  upon  the  Cabinet  the  perfect  confidence  which  1 
myself  felt  as  to  the  Duke's  success.  He  said  I  had  ;  but  that 
he  wished  for  a  good  deal  of  conversation  with  me.  I  then  ex- 
plained to  him  those  particulars  which  Admiral  Malcolm  had 
wished  me  confidentially  to  convey,  particularly  as  to  what 
concerned  the  position  and  personal  safety  of  the  French  King, 
and  other  points  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  recapitulate.  We 
had  a  most  interesting  discussion  on  the  whole  state  of  the  two 
countries  as  relating  to  the  war.  It  was  certainly  gratifying  to 
me  to  have  relieved  the  anxiety  of  ministers,  and  through  them 
of  the  public ;  but  Sir  P.  Malcolm  certainly  lost  me  the  march 
to  Paris." 

Such  was  the  state  of  feeling  in  Brussels,  Ghent,  Antwerp,  and 
London  at  this  time.  That  it  was  neither  unnatural  nor  greatly 
to  be  wondered  at,  will  be  freely  admitted  by  all  who  remember 


CHAP.  xvi.J    MOVEMENTS  OP  THE  FRENCH  ON  THE  lira.         133 

the  events  as  they  occurred.  Nevertheless,  other  events  were  in 
progress  which  were  destined  to  prove  that  it  was  unnecessary  ; 
and  of  these  it  remains  to  narrate  the  history. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Movements  of  the  French  on  the  17th  of  June. 

THE  manner  in  which  the  Prussian  army  withdrew  from  the 
field  of  Ligny  has  been  sufficiently  described  in  another  chapter. 
There  was  no  confusion — very  little  hurry — no  dismay ;  but  in 
squares  of  battalions  the  infantry  moved  off,  which  the  cavalry  in 
some  measure  covered,  besides  protecting  the  guns.  Of  these 
latter  21  pieces  remained  in  the  enemy's  hands.  But  when  we 
remember  that  the  Prussians  brought  nearly  200  pieces  into  the 
field — that  the  ground  on  which  they  stood  was  terribly  against 
them,  and  that  darkness  had  set  in  before  they  began  to  with- 
draw— our  surprise  is  occasioned,  not  that  21  fell,  but  that  three 
times  21  did  not  fall  into  the  possession  of  the  victors.  A  battle 
of  80,000  men  a-side,  which  gives  so  few  trophies  to  either  party, 
can  hardly  be  claimed  by  either  as  a  decisive  victory. 

Bruised,  and  for  a  while  insensible,  and  laid  across  the  back  of 
a  trooper's  horse,  Blucher  was  borne  from  the  field.  He  and  his 
guide  moved  under  the  protection  of  an  infantry  square,  which 
was  repeatedly  charged,  yet  never  lost  its  order — possibly  because 
the  men  knew  that  the  life  of  their  chief  was  in  their  keeping ; 
and  he  was  in  this  way  conveyed  to  a  cottage  about  six  miles  in 
rear  of  Sombrcf,  where  surgical  assistance  was  procured.  All 
the  remedies  which  circumstances  would  admit  of  were  applied. 
His  wounds  were  rubbed  with  brandy:  the  old  Marshal  having 
ascertained  the  nature  of  the  liniment,  suggested — that  no  harm 
but  much  good  would  jrobably  arise  from  an  administration  of 
the  medicine  internally  It  is  said  that,  though  the  doctor  re- 


134  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xvi. 

fused  to  give  brandy,  he  allowed  a  bottle  of  champagne,  under  the 
cheering  influence  of  which  the  Marshal  wrote  his  dispatch.  It 
is  certain  that,  as  the  bearer  was  about  to  'depart,  he  called  him 
back  and  said — "  Tell  the  King  dass  ich  hatle  halt  nachgctrunh-n, 
and  that  all  will  end  well." 

Meanwhile  the  two  corps  of  Zieten  and  Pirch  collected  at  Tilly 
and  Gentinnes,  where  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  the  17th 
they  continued  their  retreat  towards  Wavre.  They  took  the 
road  by  Mont  St.  Guibert ;  and  Pirch's  corps  halted  there  for 
some  time,  so  as  to  give  Zieten  an  opportunity  of  marching  at 
ease ;  and  between  mid-day  and  six  in  the  afternoon  both  were 
upon  the  Dyle,  and  in  position.  Zieten  crossed  and  drew  up  in 
and  around  Bierge ;  Pirch  kept  the  right  flank,  and  took  post 
between  St.  Aune  and  Aisemoiit. 

Whilst  the  1st  and  2nd  corps  followed  this  line,  Gen.  Von 
Jagow  with  his  troops  marching  after  them,  and  haltiug  at  the 
defile  of  Mont  St.  Guibert,  Thielmann  gathered  together  his  scat- 
tered corps,  and  fell  back  along  the  Namur  road.  He  did  not, 
however,  prosecute  this  route  beyond  the  village  of  Point  du  Jour, 
vrhere  the  cross-road  to  Gembloux  strikes  off  from  the  great 
chaussee,  but  turned  the  head  of  his  column  down  the  former 
path,  leaving  one  brigade  of  infantry  and  the  reserve  cavalry 
under  Gen.  Hobe  to  mask,  and,  if  need  be,  protect  the  movement. 
By  and  by  Thielmann  opened  a  communication  with  Billow,  who, 
from  his  remote  cantonments  at  Liege,  was  only  just  arriving  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  place  where  the  battle  had  been  fought.  The 
Prussian  narrator  of  this  memorable  campaign  accounts  for  the 
tardy  co-operation  of  Bulow  satisfactorily  enough.  The  dragoon, 
it  appears,  who  on  the  15th  carried  the  order  for  his  immediate 
closing  in,  delivered  it  safely  at  Hannut,  where,  because  Billow 
was  known  to  be  already  on  the  march,  it  was  permitted  to  lie. 
But  they  who  so  dealt  with  it  either  knew  not,  or  had  forgotten, 
that  neither  a  general  nor  his  troops  are  tied  down  to  one  rate 
of  travelling.  Had  the  dispatch  been  hurried  forward,  it  would 
have  reached  Biilow  before  the  march,  which  he  regarded  as  a 
mere  measure  of  precaution,  was  begun  ;  and  so,  instead  of  taking 
twelve  hours  to  perform  it.  he  might  have  compassed  it  in  six. 


CHAP,  xvi.]    MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  FRENCH  ON  THE  17m.         133 

As  it  was,  when  late  in  the  evening  Billow  and  his  people  reached 
llannut,  the  contents  of  Blucher's  letter  took  away  all  desire  to 
halt.  The  troops  were  allowed  one  hour  to  rest,  at  the  end  of 
which  they  set  forward  again,  and  arrived  foot-sore  and  a  good 
deal  exhausted,  in  the  villages  about  GcmMoux  a  little  after  mid- 
night. 

The  jqjaction  of  Thielmanirs  with  Billow's  corps  placed  so 
strong  a  force  on  the  enemy's  flank,  that  the  former  did  not 
scruple  to  give  his  men  ample  time  to  refresh.  It  was,  therefore, 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  before  his  march  recom- 
menced, and  he  conducted  it  to  the  end  without  let  or  hindrance. 
Meanwhile  Billow,  under  directions  received  from  Prince  Bliicher, 
moved  by  a  different  road.  Thielmann  made  direct  for  La  Ba- 
vette,  on  the  left  of  the  Dyle,  and  somewhat  in  rear  of  Zieten. 
Bulow's  post  was  Dion-le-Mont,  at  the  intersection  of  the  roads 
to  Louvain,  Wavre,  and  Gembloux  ;  and  the  perfect  security  with 
which  they  were  all  permitted  to  choose  their  own  paths,  and  take 
their  own  time,  showed  that  the  French,  though  nominally  con- 
querors, had  been  sorely  exhausted  in  the  battle. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  in  the  life  of  Napoleon — unquestionably 
one  of  the  ablest  military  commanders  whom  the  world  has  ever 
produced — that  he  should  have  permitted  his  hard-won  victory 
of  the  previous  day  to  pass  from  him  so  imperfectly  improved. 
That  his  troops  were  sorely  fatigued  cannot  be  doubted.  The 
marches  which  they  had  performed  and  the  battles  which  they 
fought  between  the  13th  and  IGth  of  June,  were  indeed  enough 
to  break  down  most  men  :  neither  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  if  the 
powers  of  his  own  physical  frame  should  have  been  tried  well 
nigh  beyond  their  endurance.  But  the  game  which  he  had  un- 
dertaken to  play  was  altogether  so  desperate,  and  the  issues  of 
each  throw  so  vitally  important,  that  posterity  will  never  cease 
to  wonder  that,  even  under  such  circumstances,  he  should  have 
held  his  hand  at  all.  Be  the  causes  what  they  may,  it  is  certain 
that  the  French  army,  though  in  possession  of  the  field  of  Ligny, 
did  not  move  from  it  for  more  than  twelve  hours  after  its  oppo- 
nents had  retreated.  The  dawn  of  the  17th  found  three  whole 
corps  bivouacked  in  front  of  llic  villages  which  they  had  won 


136  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xvi. 

over  night ;  a  fourth,  that  of  Grouchy,  lay  upon  the  right,  not 
perhaps  quite  so  far  in  advance,  but  still  ready  for  prompt  action, 
and  the  whole  of  the  Guard,  as  well  as  Milhaud's  cavalry,  were 
comparatively  fresh.  Nevertheless,  Zieten  and  Pirch  were  per- 
mitted to  go  off  without  an  attempt  made  to  stay  them,  and  Zie- 
ten did  not  begin  his  march  before  the  sun  was  well  risen.  Still, 
not  a  man  moved ;  not  a  patrol  was  sent  out  to  dog  the  steps  of 
the  last  Prussian  division,  or  observe  whether  they  held  straight 
for  Namur  or  turned  aside  from  it ;  and  the  Emperor  all  the 
while  was  sound  asleep  in  Fleurus.  At  last,  after  Thielmann's 
rear  had  melted  away,  and  so  much  time  was  lost  as  to  render  an 
active  pursuit  impossible,  a  division  of  light  cavalry  took  the 
direction  which  he  was  assumed  to  have  followed.  By  and  by 
the  6th  division  of  Lobau's  infantry  corps  marched  in  support  of 
them,  posting  itself  on  the  heights  of  Mazy,  far  away  beyond  the 
point  at  which  Thielmann  had  quitted  the  Namur  road ;  and  here 
the  cavalry  achieved  the  only  success  which  could  with  justice  be 
claimed  as  the  result  of  the  victory.  They  saw  before  them  a 
battery  of  guns,  retiring  along  the  Namur  road ;  they  galloped 
after  it,  and  as  the  gunners  had  not  a  single  round  in  their  tum- 
brils, they  made  themselves  masters  of  the  whole  without  loss, 
while  a  squadron  of  Prussian  lancers  which  moved,  as  it  seemed, 
for  their  protection,  was  attacked  and  put  to  flight,  having  about 
thirty  men  killed. 

The  immediate  issue  of  this  exploit  was  satisfactory.  The 
guns  were  taken,  but  a  long  reach  of  way  being  explored,  empty 
of  travellers,  awakened  a  suspicion  among  the  captors  that  thi.s 
could  not  be  the  line  of  the  Prussian  retreat.  Gen.  Pajol.  who 
accompanied  his  horsemen,  accordingly  struck  to  the  left,  and 
halted  at  St  Denis,  where  the  infantry  overtook  him.  Mean- 
while, Excelmans'  cavalry  being  on  its  march  to  support  Pajol, 
obtained  tidings  which  induced  its  commander  to  bear  off  in  the 
direction  of  Gembloux.  There,  indeed,  he  came  upon  traces  of  a 
Prussian  bivouac  recently  abandoned  ;  and  so  by  degrees  the  con- 
viction was  matured  that  Blucher,  relinquishing  his  hold  upon  the 
Mouse,  was  gone  towards  Wavre. 

Napoleon  at  the  close  of  the  battle  had  withdrawn  to  Fleurus 


CHAP.  xvi.J    MOVEMENTS  OP  THE  FRENCH  ON  THE  17™.         137 

for  the  night,  though  not  till  he  had  left  directions  for  Marshal 
Grouchy,  on  whom  the  command  of  his  right  wing  devolved,  to 
visit  him  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  and  receive  orders. 
Grouchy  came  as  he  had  been  desired  ;  but  the  Emperor  instead 
of  instructing  him  to  act,  desired  him  to  wait,  that  they  might  go 
to  the  field  together.  It  was  half-past  eight  o'clock  ere  they 
turned  their  horses'  heads  in  that  direction,  and  when  they  ar- 
rived at  the  position  Napoleon  still  seemed  irresolute.  He  rode 
over  the  field — examined  the  approaches  to  St.  Amand — gave 
directions  that  the  wounded  should  be  taken  care  of — and  spoke 
to  the  different  regiments  as  he  passed  them,  and  was  answered 
with  cheers.  He  then  dismounted,  and  entered  into  conversation 
with  Grouchy  and  Gerard  concerning  the  politics  of  Paris,  and 
various  other  general  subjects,  but  gave  no  orders  for  a  move. 
At  length  he  directed  a  reconnaissance  to  be  pushed  towards 
Quatre  Bras,  and  after  receiving  the  report  of  the  officer  who 
commanded  it,  began,  as  it  were,  to  recover  his  energies.  Mil- 
haud's  curiassiers,  one  of  Pajol's  light  brigades  under  Lieut. 
Gen.  Luberovie,  and  the  3rd  light  cavalry  division,  were  directed 
to  take  post  at  Marbais,  facing  Quatre  Bras.  These  he  supported 
with  the  Gth  (Lobau's)  infantry  corps,  of  which,  however,  one  divis- 
ion under  Gen.  Teste  had  gone  off  to  St.  Denis  with  Pajol,  and 
with  the  whole  of  the  Imperial  Guard,  as  well  cavalry  as  infantry  ; 
and  then  he  addressed  himself  to  Grouchy,  under  whose  orders 
he  placed  two  entire  corps  and  a  division  of  infantry,  as  well  as 
Excelmans'  corps  and  one  of  Pajol's  cavalry  divisions.  He  de- 
sired him  to  "  follow  the  Prussians,  complete  their  defeat,  and  on 
no  account  permit  them  to  get  out  of  his  sight.  I  am  going," 
he  continued,  "  to  unite  the  remainder  of  this  portion  of  the  army 
with  Marshal  Ney's  corps,  to  march  against  the  English  and  to  fight 
them,  if  they  try  to  hold  their  ground  between  this  and  the  forest 
of  Soignies.  You  will  communicate  with  me  by  the  paved  road 
that  leads  to  Quatre  Bras."*  It  was  to  no  purpose  that  Grouchy 
]. dinted  out  how  impossible  it  would  be  for  him  to  recover  the 
time  that  was  lost,  and  that,  supposing  Bliichcr's  rallying  point 
to  be  Namur,  the  latter  part  of  the  Emperor's  instructions  were 
*  Grouchy's  Remarks  on  Gourg  lud's  Work. 


138  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xvi. 

simply  impracticable.  Napoleon  would  listen  to  no  remonstrance, 
and  refused  to  take  Grouchy  along  with  him';  whereupon  Grouchy 
held  his  peace,  and  a  series  of  false  operations  began. 

Grouchy  saw  Napoleon  put  the  column  in  motion  that  was  to 
overwhelm  the  English  at  Quatre  Bras,  and  repaired  forthwith 
to  the  right.  He  there  got  the  corps  of  Vandammc  and  Gerard 
under  arms,  and  marched  them  to  the  point  where  the  roads  to 
Namur  and  Gembloux:  diverge  ;  and  here  his  difficulties  had  their 
commencement.  For  a  brief  space  he  stood  irresolute,  till,  hear- 
ing that  a  considerable  body  of  Prussians  had  passed  early  in  the 
morning  through  the  latter  town,  he  gave  orders  that  the  infantry 
should  proceed  thither.  While  it  advanced — as  briskly  as  men 
can  do  upon  foot — he  rode  forward  and  put  himself  in  communi- 
cation with  Excelmans'  horse,  which  were  already  beyond  Gem- 
bloux :  he  found  that  they  had  had  a  slight  affair  with  the  enemy, 
but  that  little  loss  had  been  sustained  on  either  side  ;  and  that  as 
the  night  was  closing  fast,  it  was  impossible  with  the  uncertain 
information  which  he  possessed,  to  attempt  much  more.  Accord- 
ingly he  contented  himself  with  pushing  forward  three  regiments, 
two  of  which  took  post  at  Sart  a-Walhain,  while  the  third  was 
thrown  out  as  far  as  Perwez ;  the  remainder  of  his  troops,  with 
the  exception  of  Gen.  Soult's  brigade  of  Pajol's  cavalry  and 
Teste's  infantry  division,  he  halted,  some  in  front,  others  imme- 
diately in  rear  of  the  town.  As  to  Pajol  and  Teste,  they,  after 
lingering  for  a  while  at  St.  Denis,  returned  to  their  original 
ground  at  Mazy,  near  Ligny — a  strange  blunder,  for  which  no 
good  reason  has  ever  been  assigned. 

From  his  head-quarters  at  Gembloux  Grouchy  addressed  his 
first  report  to  Napoleon.  It  was  dated  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and 
has  been  preserved.  It  describes  the  Prussians  as  retiring  in 
two  columns,  one  by  way  of  Sart-a-Walhain  upon  Wavre,  the 
other  through  Perwez,  as  the  writer  supposes,  towards  Liege.  It 
informs  Napoleon  that  he  had  sent  out  parties  to  discover  by  which 
route  the  mass  was  moving,  and  promises  that,  should  the  result 
of  these  inquiries  show  that  Wavre  was  the  main  object  with  the 
enemy,  he  would  follow  close  upon  their  heels,  and  prevent  them 
from  reaching  Brussels,  and  so  joining  Wellington.  In  like  man- 


CHAP,  xvi.]    MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  FRENCH  ON  THE  17m.         139 

ncr  the  Marshal  states  that  if  the  great  body  be  directed  upon 
Liege,  he  will  take  the  same  line,  and  fight  them  wherever  he  can 
find  them.  Moreover,  a  second  dispatch,  sent  off  from  the  same 
place  at  two  in  the  morning  of  the  18th,  demonstrates  that,  let 
him  be  chargeable  with  what  faults  he  may,  indolence  was  not  of 
the  number.  He  had  by  that  time  satisfied  himself  that  there 
was  no  Prussian  movement  towards  Liege,  and  announced  that 
he  was  going  to  direct  his  columns  upon  Corbrcux  or  Wavre. 

Thus  far  Grouchy  had  fulfilled  the  wishes  of  his  master.  That 
he  did  not  overtake  the  troops  of  which  he  was  in  pursuit  may  be 
attributed,  partly  to  the  delays  in  setting  out,  of  which  notice 
has  just  been  taken,  partly  to  the  exceeding  skill  with  which  the 
Prussian  retreat  was  conducted.  The  latter,  by  keeping  pos- 
session of  the  skirts  of  the  battle-field,  held  the  victors  in  check 
till  their  principal  columns  were  safe ;  they  then  so  distributed 
their  roar-guards,  that  the  pursuers  were  at  a  loss  to  decide  by 
what  roads  it  behooved  them  to  follow ;  and  when  they  did  fol- 
low, they  found  everywhere  strong  corps  prepared  to  meet  them, 
which  never  gave  ground  till  they  had  forced  the  assailants  to 
form  up  for  the  attack.  Now  such  evolutions  constitute  the  very 
perfection  of  manoeuvres  in  retreat.  As  often  as  you  compel  a 
superior  enemy  to  deploy,  you  put  him  to  a  very  serious  incon- 
venience ;  because  columns  of  march  are  not  formed  in  a  moment, 
nor  are  guns  limbered  up  and  carried  back  to  high-roads  without 
much  loss  of  time.  Hut  it  was  not  in  this  respect  alone  that  the 
leaders  of  the  Prussian  army  showed  that  they  well  understood 
their  art.  With  the  exception  of  21  pieces  the  whole  of  the 
cannon  were  conveyed  safely  to  the  position  at  Wavre,  where, 
through  the  judicious  management  of  Col.  Von  Rohl,  it  became 
at  once  effective.  It  happened  that  the  reserve  ammunition- 
wagons  had  been  parked  in  good  time  at  Cembloux-.  Thither 
Col.  Rohl  during  the  night  of  the  IGth  sent  his  aide-de-camp, 
with  instructions  to  remove  the  whole  forthwith  to  Wavre,  while 
lie  himself  set  off  at  once  to  the  latter  place,  that  he  might  be  at 
hand,  as  battery  after  battery  came  in,  to  furnish  it.  But  the 
supply  of  ammunition,  it  was  judged,  might  not  after  all  be  ade- 
quate to  the  probable  wants  of  a  great  operation,  and  accidents 


140  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xn. 

on  the  way  could  not  be  wholly  guarded  against.  lie  therefore 
dispatched  an  express  to  j^vitricht,  with  orders  to  the  com- 
mandant that  he  shouk  rd  without  delay,  in  the  common 
wagons  of  the  country,  as  much  powder,  shot,  and  shells  as  could 
be  packed  in  the  course  of  an  hour.  Similar  instructions  were 
sent  to  the  Governors  of  Cologne,  Wesel,  and  Miinster,  while  the 
battering  train,  which  had  heretofore  been  at  Liege,  was  ordered 
back  to  Maestricht  All  these  were  judicious  precautions  ;  and 
though  the  safe  arrival  of  the  wagons  from  Gembloux  rendered 
them  unnecessary,  the  wisdom  of  him  who  looked  so  far  before 
him  is  not  the  less  to  be  commended. 

Moreover,  the  morale  of  the  Prussian  army  was  very  little  af- 
fected by  its  reverses.  A  good  many  men,  belonging  chiefly  to 
the  Rhenish  provinces,  were  found  to  have  left  their  colors,  and 
of  the  new  levies  from  Westphalia  and  the  Duchy  of  Berg  a  con- 
siderable number  had  deserted.  Indeed,  the  total  amount  of  loss 
sustained  by  this  means  is  computed  to  have  reached  8,000  ;  but 
the  courage  of  the  residue,  the  soldiers  of  old  Prussia,  of  Merk, 
Cleves,  Minden,  and  Ravensberg,  was  as  high  as  ever.  They  re- 
posed unbounded  confidence  in  their  General ;  they  believed 
that,  though  foiled,  he  could  not  be  defeated ;  and,  therefore,  they 
looked  upon  the  retrogression  from  Ligny  as  a  mere  change  of 
position.  And  well  did  Bliicher  deserve  this  feeling.  In  spite 
of  his  hurts  he  was  on  horseback,  and  among  his  "  children,"  as 
he  called  them,  by  dawn  of  day  on  the  18th  ;  and  his  order  of 
the  day  on  the  17th  had  already  told  them  that,  though  beaten, 
they  were  not  destroyed.  "  I  will  lead  you  against  the  enemy," 
so  says  the  conclusion  of  this  characteristic  document,  "  and  wo 
will  beat  him,  because  we  must." 


CHAP,  xvii.]    RETREAT  OP  THE  PRUSSIANS  TO  WAVRE.  141 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Operations  of  Retreat,  and  Pursuit  to  Wavre. 

BY  the  evening  of  the  17th  four  corps  of  the  Prussian  army 
were  assembled  round  Wavre,  in  the  best  order,  and  well  pre- 
pared for  battle.  Two  of  these  occupied  a  position  on  the  right, 
and  two  upon  the  left  of  the  Dyle ;  and  the  lines  of  retreat  by 
which  they  had  gained  them  were  both  covered  by  strong  rear- 
guards posted  at  Vieux  Sart  and  Mont  St.  Guibert  respectively. 
Neither  was  the  important  business  of  feeling  round  about  the 
position  neglected.  It  was  of  unspeakable  importance  to  open  a 
communication  as  speedily  as  possible  with  Wellington,  and  the 
best  means  of  marching  troops  to  his  support  must  needs  be  ascer- 
tained. Accordingly,  while  the  left  was  watched  by  patrols,  who 
traversed  the  great  road  till  it  joined  the  chaussee  from  Namur 
to  Louvaine,  detachments  were  thrown  out  by  Zieton  from  the 
right,  which  guarded  the  Dyle  to  Lamale  and  considerably  above 
it,  and  at  the  same  time  communicated  with  the  posts  at  Mont 
St.  Guibert.  These  operations  took  place  during  the  night ;  but 
before  the  sun  went  down  the  country  between  Wavre  and 
Genappe  was  examined  ;  and  the  officer  who  had  the  recon- 
naissance, Major  von  Falkenhausen,  was  enabled,  from  the  wooded 
tracts  beyond  Seroulx,  to  observe  the  advance  of  Napoleon  along 
the  paved  road  that  conducts  by  Planchcnoit  and  Mont  St.  Jean 
upon  Brussels. 

In  consequence  of  these  judicious  proceedings,  which  were  ably 
responded  to  on  the  side  of  the  Allies,  the  two  Marshals  succeeded 
in  communicating  with  one  another,  and  to  a  certain  extent  in 
settling  their  plans.  The  Duke  informed  Prince  Blucher  that 
he  would  accept  a  battle  on  the  morrow,  provided  Blucher  could 
assure  him  of  the  support  of  one  corps.  Blucher  replied  that  he 
would  come  to  his  assistance  with  his  whole  army  if  the  French 


142  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  XTI,. 

attacked  ;  and  that,  if  they  did  not,  he  would  be  ready  to  co-oper- 
ate on  the  19th  in  a  combined  attack  upon  them. 

Meanwhile,  Marshal  Grouchy  lay,  in  somewhat  loose  order, 
from  Mazy,  in  front  of  the  field  of  Ligny,  all  the  way  to  Gem- 
bloux.  His  patrols  extended,  to  be  sure,  to  Sart-a-Walhain  and 
Perwez ;  but  the  strength  of  his  corps  was  at  Gembloux ;  and 
two  divisions,  one  of  infantry,  the  other  of  cavalry,  passed  the 
night  at  Mazy.  At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  18th  these 
latter  quitted  their  ground,  and,  marching  by  St.  Denis  and 
Grandeley,  arrived  at  Tourinnes,  where  they  had  been  instructed 
to  wait  for  further  orders.  At  eight  Excelmans'  cavalry  began 
to  move  ;  and  an  hour  later  Vandamme  and  Gerard  were  in 
march.  Strange  to  say,  however,  the  two  corps  of  infantry  were 
crowded  upon  the  same  road,  which  was  not  only  narrow,  but, 
owing  to  the  recent  rains,  deep  and  heavy;  and  the  progress 
which  they  made,  tedious  and  wearisome  at  the  best,  was,  through 
the  breaking  down  of  a  wagon,  or  some  other  trivial  cause,  inter- 
rupted, from  time  to  time,  altogether. 

The  route  which  the  infantry  followed  was  circuitous  as  well 
as  inconvenient.  It  led  to  Sart-a-Walhain,  which  forms  the  apex 
of  an  obtuse  angle  between  Gembloux  and  Wavre,  and  could  be 
preferred  only  because  Grouchy  did  not  as  yet  seem  to  be  con 
vinced  respecting  the  real  direction  of  the  Prussian  retreat.  In- 
deed it  is  clear  from  the  whole  manner  of  Grouchy's  manoeuvring 
that  he  could  not  as  yet  divest  himself  of  the  persuasion  that 
Bliicher  looked  mainly  to  the  line  of  the  Meuse,  and  was  going  to 
make  his  stand  at  Maestricht.  But  while  his  infantry  were  toil- 
ing through  the  muddy  lane  on  which  he  had  placed  them. 
Excelmans  overtook  the  Prussian  rear-guards  not  very  far  from 
Wavre  itself.  He  immediately  entered  with  them  into  a  skir- 
mish, while,  at  the  same  time,  he  sent  back  to  inform  his  chief  of 
what  had  occurred  ;  and  the  latter  being  satisfied  that  to  look 
farther  to  the  right  would  be  useless,  brought  up  his  shoulder 
and  marched  upon  the  Dyle. 

There  occurred,  however,  previously  to  the  arrival  of  Excel- 
mans' messenger,  an  event  which  well  deserves  notice,  and  of 
which,  had  proper  use  been  made,  the  battle  of  Waterloo  might 


CUAP.  xvii.]    RETREAT  OF  THE  PRUSSIANS  TO  WAVRE.          143 

have  been  productive  of  results  less  immediately  decisive  than 
those  which  ensued  upon  it.  Grouchy  had  stopped  to  breakfast 
in  Sart-a-Walhain,  and  about  eleven  o'clock  was  joined  by  Gen. 
Gerard,  who,  impatient  of  the  tardy  pace  of  his  corps,  had  ridden 
forward.  The  two  Generals  were  conversing  in  the  house  of 
M.  Rollaert,  a  notary,  when  Col.  Simon  Loricu,  Chief  of  the  Staff 
to  Grouchy's  wing,  caine  in  from  the  garden,  where  he  had  been 
walking,  and  stated  that  a  heavy  though  distant  cannonade  could 
be  heard.  Grouchy  and  Gerard  hurried  instantly  out  of  doors, 
and  caught  at  once  the  well-known  sound.  They  appealed  to 
M.  Rollaert  as  to  whereabouts  he  supposed  the  firing  to  be ;  and 
he  stated  that  it  seemed  to  him  to  come  from  the  direction  of 
Planchenoit  and  Mont  St.  Jean.  The  French  Generals  looked 
at  one  another,  and  at  the  officers  by  whom  they  were  surrounded, 
and  all  seemed  to  arrive,  as  if  by  intuition,  at  the  same  conclu- 
sion— Napoleon  had  attacked  the  English,  and  the  battle  was 
begun.  And  now  arose  the  question — how  did  it  behoove  them 
to  act  ?  Gerard  suggested  that  it  would  be  well  to  march  towards 
the  cannonade,  and  to  connect  their  own  operations  more  closely 
with  those  of  Napoleon.  Grouchy  did  not  conceive  that  the 
manoeuvre  would  be  justifiable  in  the  face  of  the  instructions 
which  the  Emperor  had  given  him,  and  amid  the  uncertainty  in 
regard  to  Blucher's  position  with  which  they  were  surrounded. 
Each  chief  had  its  partisans,  who  argued  stoutly  on  both  sides — 
one  party  pointing  out  that  bad  roads  and  a  woody  country 
offered  serious  obstacles  to  the  endeavor — the  other  professing 
their  ability  as  well  as  their  desire  to  surmount  them  ;  but  the 
rcsujt  w.as  that  Grouchy  adhered  to  his  own  view  of  the  case. 
It  was  his  duty,  he  said,  to  keep  the  Prussians  in  view,  and  to 
fight  them  ;  and  this  he  could  not  hope  to  do  with  success  were 
he,  as  Gerard  finally  proposed,  to  detach  one  of  his  corps,  and, 
Laving  the  Dyle  between  them,  to  operate  with  the  other.  Accord- 
ingly, the  march  of  the  infantry  was  not  delayed  ;  but  requesting 
Gerard  to  hurry  it  as  much  as  possible,  he  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  towards  the  advanced  guard. 

Grouchy  was  yet  c/i  route,  when  an  aidc-de  camp  from  the  ma^n 


144  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xvn. 

army  overtook  him,  and  put  into  his  hands  a  dispatch,  of  which 
the  subjoined  is  a  free  translation  : — 

"  Camp  in  front  of  the  Farm  of  Caillou, 
18th  of  June,  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"  SIR,  THE  MARSHAL, — The  Emperor  has  received  your  last  dispatch,  dated 
Gembloux,  in  which  you  make  mention  of  only  two  Prussian  columns  as  pass- 
ing to  Sauvenceres  and  Sarravalines,  though  other  reports  speak  of  a  third 
and  strong  column  as  having  gone  by  St.  Gery  and  Gentinnes  to  Wavre. 

'•  The  Emperor  charges  me  to  inform  you,  that  he  is  just  about  to  attack  the 
English,  who  are  in  position  at  Waterloo,  close  to  the  forest  of  Soignies.  His 
Majesty  desires  that  you  direct  your  movements  upon  Wavre,  so  that  you  may 
approach  us  and  put  yourself  en  rapport  with  our  proceedings,  and  that,  secur- 
ing our  communications,  you  push  before  you  whatever  Prussian  corps  may 
have  taken  that  direction,  and  engage  them  at  Wavre,  where  you  ought  to  be 
with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  Whatever  portion  of  the  enemy  may  have 
gone  off  to  your  right  you  can  follow  with  light  troops,  so  as  to  observe  their 
movements,  and  pick  up  their  stragglers.  Inform  me  immediately  concerning 
the  dispositions  of  your  march,  as  well  as  of  any  news  which  you  may  have 
obtained  respecting  the  enemy ;  and  do  not  fail  to  unite  your  communications 
with  ours. 

"  LB  MAJOR-GENERAL  Due  DE  DALMATIE." 

The  tenor  of  this  note  seems  to  be  obvious  enough.  It  indi- 
cated that  Napoleon  was  jealous  of  his  right,  and  that  he  knew 
better  than  the  individual  to  whom  it  was  addressed  how  Bliicher 
had  disposed  of  his  army.  Still  Grouchy  was  not  persuaded  by 
it  to  deviate  from  his  own  previously  conceived  plans.  He  con- 
tinued to  move  along  the  Sart-a-Walhain  road,  and  thence  by 
Neuf  Sart  upon  Wavre.  Indeed  he  did  more.  Instead  of  bear- 
ing towards  his  left,  so  as  to  touch  the  Dyle  in  the  first  instance  at 
Lenulette  or  Lamale,  he  directed  Exceliuans  to  take  ground  to 
his  right,  and  come  out  upon  the  high  road  at  Dion-le-Mont. 
Thus  not  only  were  his  communications  not  connected  with  those 
of  Napoleon,  but  they  were  rendered  less  attainable  than  ever ; 
while  the  Prussians  by  this  order  of  his  advance,  were  involunta- 
rily led — if  not  in  some  sort  driven — to  connect  themselves  at 
once  with  the  English.  At  the  same  time  it  is  just  to  bear  in 
mind  that  for  the  support  which  he  gave  to  the  troops  of  his  ally, 
Blucher  had  fully  provided.  Interrupted — perhaps  retarded — 
his  flank  movement  might  have  been,  in  which  case  the  comple- 
tion of  Napoleon's  overthrow  would  have  probably  been  deferred 


CHAP.  XVH.J    RETREAT  OP  TI^E  PRUSSIANS  TO  WAVRE.  Ub 

a  few  days ;  because,  beaten  as  they  were  in  the  battle  of  the 
18th,  the  French  could  not  have  kept  their  ground,  though  they 
might  perhaps  have  retreated  in  something  like  order.  But  there 
was  no  power  in  Grouchy,  or  in  his  master,  or  in  both  united*,  to 
frustrate  operations  so  well  calculated  in  regard  both  to  their  ob- 
ject and  details  as  those  which  Wellington  and  Bliicher  had  con- 
certed together.  Wherefore,  though  Grouchy  undeniably  was  in 
fault,  to  lay  upon  him  the  blame  of  the  disasters  which  ensued  is 
to  act  unjustly.  He  certainly  did  not  make  the  most  of  his  op- 
portunity ;  but  it  was  never  such  as  to  give  to  his  master  a 
chance  of  victory,  except  in  the  overthrow  of  the  English  whom 
he  attacked  at  Waterloo. 

While  the  French  Marshal  was  thus  executing  a  slow  and  not 
very  well  arranged  pursuit,  Blucher  had  long  begun  that  series 
of  movements  which  brought  him  at  a  critical  moment  on  the  rear 
of  Napoleon's  army.  Billow's  corps,  which  had  passed  the  night 
at  Dion-le-Mont,  received  orders  to  move,  at  dawn  on  the  morning 
of  the  1 8th,  through  Wavre  to  St.  Lambert,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Byle.  At  the  same  time  detachments  of  hussars  were  to 
march  by  different  cross-roads  along  the  course  of  the  Lasnc. 
Of  these,  one  proceeded  as  far  in  advance  as  Maransart,  while  the 
rest  scoured  the  country,  and  in  a  measure  blocked  up  every  lane 
between  Mont  St.  Guibertand  the  Lasne.  The  consequence  was 
that  coinmunication,  even  by  orderlies,  became  exceedingly  diffi- 
cult from  one  portion  of  the  French  army  to  the  other  ;  and  that 
Grouchy,  who  ought  to  have  been  alive  to  every  movement  of 
Napoleon's  corps,  received  no  tidings  of  the  dangers  which  men- 
aced it  till  they  had  proved  fatal. 

The  result  of  these  reconnaissances  having  satisfied  Blucher 
that  Napoleon  kept  no  very  sharp  look-out  upon  his  right,  and 
his  own  rear-guard  not  having  \varned  him  of  the  advance  of 
Grouchy,  he  determined  to  commence,  without  delay,  that  series 
of  operations  which,  as  he  calculated,  would  enable  him  to  sup- 
port the  English  army  with  three  Prussian  corps.  It  was  neces- 
sary, however,  to  execute  movements  of  such  exceeding  delicacy 
with  much  caution.  The  defiles  of  St.  Lambert  and  of  tlic 
Lasnc — both  difficult  of  passage — were  between  him  and  the 

7 


146  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CBAF.  xvn. 

English  right ;  and  on  his  rear  hung  Grouchy,  with  a  force  of  the 
amount  of  which  he  was  ignorant.  Whatever  was  to  be  done, 
therefore,  must  be  done  with  as  much  prudence  as  promptitude, 
BO  that  no  risk  of  disaster  might  be  incurred.  Accordingly,  as 
soon  as  Billow  should  have  filed  through  Wavre  on  his  way  to 
St.  Lambert,  Zieten,  who  had  passed  the  night  at  Bierge,  was  in- 
structed to  commence  his  march  upon  Fromont  and  Ohain.  Then 
Pirch's  corps  was  to  break  up  and  follow  Billow,  while  Thielmann, 
after  holding  Wavre  till  the  general  change  of  position  should  be 
secured,  was  to  tread  in  Zeiten's  footsteps  and  move  leisurely  upon 
Ohain. 

In  pursuance  of  these  arrangements,  Bulow  quitted  his  bivouac 
at  Dion-le-Mont  by  break  of  day  on  the  18th.  He  gained  the 
bridge  of  Wavre,  and  passed  both  that  and  the  town  comfortably 
with  his  advanced  guard  ;  but  the  head  of  the  succeeding  brigade 
was  yet  a  little  way  from  the  river,  when  a  fire  broke  out  in  the 
principal  street.  The  flames  spreading  with  great  fury  not  only 
stopped  the  march — for  the  street  which  had  taken  fire  was  that 
which  led  from  the  bridge — but  they  occasioned  great  alarm  lest 
some  of  the  many  ammunition  wagons  which  had  been  posted  in 
the  town  should  explode  ;  in  which  case  the  destruction  of  the 
place  and  of  the  principal  stores  of  the  army  would  be  inevitable. 
Accordingly  the  column  halted  ;  while  whole  battalions,  casting 
aside  their  accoutrements,  exerted  themselves  to  subdue  the  fire. 
This  they  eventually  did,  without  loss  of  life  or  serious  damage 
to  the  magazines  ;  but  for  the  loss  of  time  nothing  could  compen- 
sate, and  its  consequences  were  felt  inconveniently. 

Meanwhile  the  advance  of  Billow's  corps  held  its  way,  and 
reaching  St.  Lambert  about  eleven  o'clock,  began  immediately  to 
pass  the  defile.  It  did  not  wait  for  the  three  brigades  which  the 
fire  had  stopped,  but  entered  at  once  upon  the  deep  and  miry 
paths  which  alone  lay  before  it.  Such  operations  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  very  slow  in  the  performance,  and  when  effected, 
the  brigade  seemed  to  be  isolated.  A  halt  in  the  wood  of  Paris 
was  accordingly  ordered,  while  cavalry  patrols  were  sent  on  for 
the  purpose  of  reconnoitring  the  enemy,  and  feeling  for  the  left 
of  the  English  line. 


CQAP.  xvii.]    RETREAT  OP  THE  PRUSSIANS  TO  WAVRE.  147 

The  delay  occasioned  by  the  fire  in  Wavre  was  very  great.  It 
checked  the  progress  of  Billow's  corps  several  hours,  and  gave 
time  for  the  arrival  of  Grouchy's  advanced  guard,  which  pushed 
some  horsemen  between  Vieux  Sart,  where  the  rear  of  Billow's 
column  lay,  and  the  Prussian  detachment  which  covered  the 
other  road  at  Mont  St.  Guibert.  It  became  necessary  for  the 
latter  to  retire,  which,  assisted  by  two  regiments  of  cavalry  sent 
out  from  Wavre,  it  did  in  good  order,  though  not  without  a  little 
fighting.  Lieut.  Col.  Von  Ledebeer,  who  commanded  this  force, 
halted  at  a  place  called  the  farm  of  Auzel,  near  which  was  the 
wood  of  Sorats,  an  open  grove,  free  from  brushwood,  and  there- 
fore affording  considerable  facilities  of  defence. 

The  movements  of  the  remaining  corps  will  be  sufficiently  ex- 
plained in  a  few  words.  Zieten  filed  off  from  his  ground  on  the 
left  of  the  Dyle  as  soon  as  Billow's  leading  brigade  had  passed 
through  "Wavre,  and  made  at  once  for  Ohain.  Pirch,  on  the 
right  of  the  stream,  broke  up  from  his  position  between  St.  Anne 
and  Aisemont  about  noon  ;  his  design  was  to  cross  by  the  bridge 
of  Wavre,  but  the  accident  already  alluded  to  rendered  this  op- 
eration both  tedious  and  difficult ;  and  before  it  could  be  accom- 
plished, the  approach  of  the  enemy  was  announced.  Pirch 
strongly  reinforced  the  detachment  which  had  halted  at  Auzcl, 
and  gave  the  command  of  the  united  force  to  Gen.  Von  Brause. 
The  latter  posted  his  men  to  the  best  advantage  in  and  about  tin; 
wood  of  Sorats,  and  maintained  a  sharp  contest  with  Vandamme'.s 
advanced  guard ;  but  between  three  and  four  in  the  afternoon, 
having  ascertained  that  all  was  right  beluo^  him,  he  ordered  a 
retreat,  and  drew  off  his  people.  They  all  passed  the  Dyle,  some 
at  one  point  and  some  at  another ;  and  the  enemy's  pursuit  not 
being  very  vigorous,  they  found  time  to  break  down  the  bridge 
of  Bierge,  and  to  set  fire  to  a  mill  which,  abutting  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  stream,  commanded  it. 

Billow's,  Zieten's,  and  Pirch's  corps  were  thus  disposed  of. 
They  had  performed  the  parts  which  their  commander-in-chicf 
wished  them  to  play,  in  spite  of  an  accident  which  could  neither 
be  foreseen  nor  prevented  ;  and  though  some  hours  behind  their 
time,  were  in  full  march  to  attack  Napoleon's  right.  Thielmann'a 


148  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xvn. 

alone — and  that  too  seriously  weakened  by  losses  in  the  field,  and 
the  disposal  elsewhere  of  several  brigades — held  the  position  of 
Wavre.  With  it,  Bliicher,  who  was  early  at  Lemale,  and  with 
his  own  eyes  examined  the  nature  of  the  country  between  that 
place  and  St.  Lambert,  now  opened  a  communication.  He  sent 
back  Col.  Clausewitz  with  orders  that  Thielmann  should  defend 
the  passage  of  the  Dyle,  in  case  the  enemy  attacked  him ;  but 
that  if  the  French  either  did  not  advance  in  force,  or  crossed  the 
river  higher  up,  he  was  to  leave  a  few  battalions  in  the  town,  and 
to  follow  the  main  body  of  the  army.  H«  was  to  take  the  road 
to  Coutaire  on  the  Lasne. 

If  the  reader  will  place  a  well-marked  map  of  the  country  be- 
fore him,  he  will  see  that  no  series  of  movements  could  have  been 
better  planned  than  those  of  which  he  has  just  read  the  descrip- 
tion. It  was  impossible  for  Grouchy,  let  him  approach  the  Dyle 
as  he  might,  to  stop  the  completion  of  Bliicher's  design.  Had 
he  moved,  indeed,  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  in  two  columns  in- 
stead of  one,  pushing  his  left  through  Mont  St.  Guibert  towards 
Moustier,  and  his  right  by  Corbraux  towards  Le  Baraque,  he 
must  have  gained  the  command  of  two  stone  bridges  over  the 
Dyle,  and  made  himself  master  of  the  nearest  approaches  to  St. 
Lambert  and  Waterloo.  But  even  in  this  case  Blucher's  tooops 
were  so  disposed,  that  two  corps,  those  of  Billow  and  Thielmann, 
would  have  given  him  battle,  while  the  remaining  two  filed  off 
in  the  direction  of  the  English  left.  Probably  they  might  not 
have  arrived  in  time  to  fire  a  shot  that  night,  because  the  roads 
by  Ohain,  and  els^here  to  the  rear  of  St.  Lambert,  were  even 
deeper  and  less  pervious  than  those  in  front  of  it ;  but  their  ulti- 
mate junction  with  the  English  had  become  a  matter  of  certainty 
from  the  moment  Bliicher  got  a  start  of  eight  hours  upon  the 
enemy  to  whom  he  was  obliged  to  resign  the  field  of  Ligny ; 
whereupon  the  brave  old  Prince  felt  very  much  at  his  ease,  in 
spite  of  the  stiffness  which  still  remained  from  his  bruises  of  the 
16th;  and  his  officers  and  men  nobly  aiding  his  endeavors,  the 
flank  march  went  on  as  vigorously  as  circumstances  would  admit. 


HAP.  xvni.J  POSITION  OF  WATERLOO.  145 


CHATTER    XVIII. 

The  Pt  Mtnn  of  Waterloo. 

WE  return  now  to  the  Anglo-.Bclgian  army  /Inch  during  the 
afternoon  of  the  17th  was  effecting  its  retrograde  movement  upon 
Waterloo.  The  march  was  performed  under  an  incessant  fall  of 
rain,  and  amid  a  furious  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning,  which 
added,  in  no  slight  degree,  to  the  solemnity  of  the  scene,  and  filled 
up  the  intervals,  when  from  time  to  time  the  artillery  on  both 
sides  ceased  to  fire.  Of  the  cavalry  affair  at  Genappe  sufficient 
notice  has  been  taken.  It  was  the  only  encounter  of  masses 
which  occurred  throughout  the  day,  and  the  skirmishing  being 
mainly  confined  to  patrols  which  moved  by  beaten  roads,  never 
became  very  animated.  Enough,  however,  was  dene  to  keep  men 
on  their  mettle,  and  to  carry  them  into  the  bivouacs  which  they 
were  respectively  directed  to  take  up,  in  a  state  of  considerable 
excitement.  And  though  it  was  clear  that  no  great  battle  could 
be  fought  before  the  morrow,  the  enemy  made  here  and  there 
demonstrations  which  compelled  similar  displays  of  activity  on 
the  part  of  the  English.  For  example,  after  the  rearmost  cavalry 
regiment,  the  23rd  Light  Dragoons,  had  filed  off  into  a  hollow 
on  the  right  of  the  great  road,  and  taken  post  beside  the  orchard 
of  La  Haye  Sainte,  they  were  suddenly  required  to  form  line 
again,  for  the  purpose  of  checking  the  French  advanced  guard, 
which  pushed  boldly  up  the  road  after  them.  The  French  seeing 
that  the  English  retreat  was  ended,  did  not,  however,  come  to 
blows.  They  pulled  up  on  the  high  ground  which  intervenes  be- 
tween  La  Haye  Sainte  and  La  Belle  Alliance :  while  two  batteries 
of  horse  artillery  unlimbering,  opened  a  fire  upon  the  centre  of 
the  English  line.  It  happened  that  Picton's  division  lay  there, 
and  that  its  fiery  chief  was  not  of  a  temper  to  take  the  annoy- 
ance patiently ;  ho  therefore  ordered  two  batteries,  which  were 


150  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     ICHAP.  xvni 

near  at  hand,  though  not  belonging  to  his  division,  to  take  post 
on  a  height  close  to  the  Charleroi  road,  and  to  answer  the  French 
fire,  not  by  silencing  the  guns,  but  by  enfilading  a  column  of 
infantry  which  had  plunged  into  a  hollow  road  opposite  to  them. 
The  batteries  in  question,  that  of  Major  Lloyd  and  Captain 
Cloves,  the  former  British,  the  latter  artillery  of  the  King's 
German  Legion,  got  the  range  of  their  mark  at  the  first  dis- 
charge ;  and  the  havoc  which  they  wrought  among  a  body  of 
men  jammed  together,  and  incapable  either  of  retreating  or  de- 
ploying, was  terrifiic.  The  cannonade  lasted  about  half  an  hour, 
indeed  till  the  French  column  had  melted  quite  away,  for  the 
enemy's  guns,  though  they  did  their  best  to  check  it,  made  no 
impression. 

Night  was  now  beginning  to  set  in.  The  sun  had  gone  down 
some  time,  and  twilight  grew  rapidly  darker,  when  arrangements 
were  begun  on  both  sides  for  the  establishment  of  pickets,  and 
the  planting  of  sentries  and  videttes.  During  the  progress  of  a 
regular  campaign,  after  armies  have  begun,  as  it  were,  to  become 
acquainted  with  one  another,  these  operations  are  conducted  with 
the  most  perfect  good-humor,  no  advantage  being  taken  on  either 
side  of  a  ujere  blunder,  but  each  civilly  informing  the  other  if  by 
chance  a  wrong  direction  should  have  been  followed,  or  too  near 
an  approach  made  to  the  main  position.  This  evening  a  different 
feeling  seemed  to  prevail :  there  was  positive  exasperation  on  the 
part  of  the  French,  which  gradually  stirred  the  bile  of  their  op- 
ponents ;  so  that  all  along  the  hollow  which  separated  the  two 
armies,  a  series  of  skirmishes  and  single  combats  went  on.  These 
on  various  occasions  took  a  rather  more  imposing  shape,  particu- 
larly where  parties  of  cavalry  encountered.  A  troop  of  the  7th 
Hussars,  for  example,  under  Captain  Heyliger,  found  itself  con- 
fronted and  annoyed  by  a  body  of  French  light  cavalry.  Being 
superior  in  numbers  these  would  not  allow  one  of  Captain  Hey- 
liger's  videttes  to  keep  his  ground,  but  drove  them  all  back  as 
soon  as  they  endeavored  to  establish  themselves  in  line  with 
those  on  the  right  and  left  of  them.  Captain  Heyliger  bore  with 
the  proceeding  for  a  while.  "  He  sent  out  his  men  repeatedly,  an- 
ticipating that  the  enemy  would  come,  by  and  by,  to  see  the  im- 


irup.  xvin.j  POSITION  OF  WATERLOO.  151 

propriety  of  their  conduct ;  but  when  the  course  of  annoyance  was 
persevered  in,  he  determined  in  his  own  way  to  stop  it ;  he  formed 
his  troop,  rode  at  the  French  outpost,  overthrew  men  and  horses, 
and  chased  the  survivors  from  the  field.  The  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton was  himself  an  eye-witness  to  the  encounter,  and  praised  the 
gallantry  while  he  sent  to  restrain  the  ardor  of  the  troopers  en- 
gaged in  it. 

A  somewhat  similar  affair  took  place  in  front  of  Hougomont, 
where  Lieut.  Von  Hugo,  of  the  2nd  Light  Dragoons  of  the  King's 
German  Legion,  commanded  a  picket.  He  likewise  -was  annoyed 
by  frequent  incursions  into  his  ground,  and  by  a  dropping  fire  of 
carbines  from  the  people  opposite,  and  at  last  saw,  as  he  believed, 
thp  beginning  of  a  more  formidable  danger — the  approach  of  a 
mass  of  cavalry  belonging  to  the  enemy's  advanced  guard.  He 
instantly  took  the  initiative ;  and  charging  the  head  of  the  col- 
umn before  it  could  deploy,  threw  it  into  confusion  and  forced  it 
backwards.  Nor  was  it  with  the  mounted  pickets  alone  that  this 
sort  of  game  was  played.  For  a  while  no  sentry  took  his  station 
till  after  the  interchange  of  shots  between  the  party  from  which 
he  was  detached  and  the  enemy  ;  so  that,  as  night  advanced,  the 
whole  front  of  either  position  was  lighted  up  by  the  flashes  of 
musketry.  Gradually,  however,  this  irregular  fusillade  became 
interrupted  ;  and  at  last  there  was  silence,  except  that  about  their 
bivouac  fires  weary  men  occasionally  moved  and  spoke,  and  that 
the  roll  of  wheels,  and  the  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs,  told  of  the 
coming  up  of  wagons,  guns,  atjd  ammunition-carts  from  the  rear. 

The  night  of  the  17th  of  June  was  one  of  heavy  and  incessant 
rain.  It  seemed,  indeed,  as  if  the  windows  of  heaven  had  been 
opened  again  ;  for,  without  interruption,  the  water  came  down  till 
the  whole  face  of  the  ground  was  saturated.  Peals  of  thunder, 
with  frequent  flashes  of  lightning,  likewise  added  sublimity  to  the 
scene,  which,  under  any  circumstances,  would  have  been,  in  truth, 
abundantly  solemn.  Amid  such  a  storm  the  troops  on  both  sides 
lay  down.  How  it  fared  with  the  French  has  nowhere  been  ac- 
curately stated,  though  the  appearance  of  their  bivouac,  as  it  was 
seen  by  our  people  on  the  following  evening,  seemed  to  imply  that 
provisions  were  abundant  among  them  ;  but  on  the  English  side 


152  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xviii. 

food  and  forage  were  wanting.  Neither,  indeed,  is  this  to  be 
wondered  at,  considering  that  the  operations  of  the  17th  had 
been  retrogressive  throughout,  and  that  a  movement  to  the  rear, 
whether  pressed  upon  or  conducted  at  leisure,  necessarily  implies 
a  still  further  removal  out  of  harm's  way  of  everything  which  may 
not  be  needed  in  the  hour  of  battle.  But  though  suffering  a  good 
deal  from  hunger,  the  fatigue  which  they  had  undergone  in  the 
course  of  the  two  previous  days  soon  closed  the  eyes  both  of  man 
and  beast ;  and  nowise  distrustful  of  the  issues  of  the  morrow,  all 
who  were  not  engaged  in  more  active  employments  lay  down  on 
the  wet  ground  and  slept. 

With  marvellous  exactitude  the  Duke  had  sent  over-night 
every  brigade  and  corps  to  the  particular  post  in  the  position 
which  it  was  intended  next  day  to  hold.  A  few,  and  only  a  few, 
changes  of  ground,  therefore,  took  place  when  the  dawn  of  the 
18th  came  in  ;  and.  as  these  made  no  alteration  whatever  in  the 
plan  of  the  battle,  and  were  entirely  inoperative  both  on  its  prog- 
ress and  result,  it  seems  scarcely  necessary,  in  a  sketch  like  this, 
minutely  to  detail  them.  It  may  be  more  to  the  purpose  if  we 
describe,  as  briefly  as  a  due  regard  to  perspicuity  will  allow,  the 
manner  in  which  the  Anglo-Belgian  forces  disposed  themselves 
for  the  impending  contest. 

About  twelve  English  miles  from  Brussels,  and  with  the  forest 
of  Soignies,  about  eight  miles  in  width,  intervening,  lies  a  narrow 
tract  of  country,  of  which  history  will  long  speak  as  of  the  scene 
of  the  sternest  and  most  decisive  battle  that  has  been  fought  in 
modern  times.  It  is  the  field  of  Waterloo,  whereon,  within  less 
than  2000  yards  of  one  another,  the  armies  of  Napoleon  and  Wel- 
lington slept  throughout  the  night  of  the  1 7th  of  June,  and  where, 
on  the  18th,  they  met  and  fought.  The  English  position  might 
measure,  from  one  extremity  to  the  other,  about  two  miles,  or  a 
little  more ;  it  extended  from  a  sort  of  ridge,  on  the  road  to 
Wavre,  overlooking  the  hamlets  of  Papelotte  and  La  Haye,  to  a 
series  of  heights  of  the  same  character,  which  rise  in  the  rear  of 
the  Chateau  of  Hougomont,  and  throw  themselves  back  as  far  as 
Merbe  Braine,  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  from  Nivelles  to 
Brasscls.  The  position  of  the  Allies  was,  therefore,  the  brow  of 


CIIAF.  xviH.J  POSITION  OF  WATERLOO.  153 

a  slope  which  dips  gradually,  like  the  face  of  a  glacis,  into  a  val- 
ley ;  on  the  opposite  side  of  which  rises  another  line  of  heights  of 
like  formation,  though  somewhat  more  elevated  than  those  upon 
which  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  posted.  The  whole  front  of 
the  Duke's  line  was  open ;  there  were  neither  woods  nor  hedge- 
rows, nor  other  inclosures,  to  shelter  an  enemy's  approach,  except 
at  one  particular  part,  which  deserves  a  more  elaborate  description  ; 
and  the  soil  being  very  fertile,  the  whole  surface  of  the  ground 
was  covered  with  tall  corn  or  rich  herbage,  or  else  lay  fallow. 

The  position  of  Waterloo  is  not  quite  in  a  straight  line;  a 
natural  curvature  of  the  hills  causes  the  centre  to  be  slightly 
thrown  back,  though  not  sufficiently  so  either  to  expose  the  flanks 
or  to  give  them  a  decided  advantage  in  the  line  of  fire ;  and  its 
left,  as  the  Duke  that  day  held  it,  would  have  had  no  support 
but  for  the  assumed  proximity  of  the  Prussians.  "With  this 
trivial  drawback,  however — if,  indeed,  we  are  justified  under  the 
circumstances  in  so  describing  it — the  field  of  Waterloo  presents 
exactly  the  sort  of  plateau  on  which  an  English  officer,  aware  of 
the  constitution  of  his  army,  would  desire  to  bring  it  into  collision 
with  an  enemy.  There  is  abundance  of  open  ground  for  the  for- 
mations in  which  British  infantry  are  always  the  most  formidable. 
In  line  or  square  they  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  assaults  of 
any  description  of  force  that  can  be  brought  against  them  ;  while 
for  such  support  as  cavalry  and  artillery  can  give  with  the  best 
effect,  every  facility  is  afforded.  Nor  is  this  all.  From  the  top 
of  the  ridge  the  ground  slopes  backwards,  so  as  to  hide  the  re- 
serves, and  to  keep  the  front  line  itself  concealed,  till  the  moment 
for  "action  has  arrived.  And  here  the  Duke,  of  whose  tactics  even 
foreign  writers  have  well  spoken,  covered  his  ground,  as  he  was 
always  accustomed  to  do,  showing  not  a  man,  except  the  few  that 
might  be  required  to  warn  their  comrades  of  the  approach  of  dan- 
ger ;  and  holding  the  rest  in  his  hand,  as  a  skilful  player  holds 
his  cards,  that  he  may  deal  them  out  precisely  as  they  are  wanted, 
and  lose  not  one  unnecessarily. 

Two  great  roads  approach  the  position  from  the  French  side. 
One  of  these,  which  runs  from  Charleroi  and  Genappc,  cuts  it,  so 
to  speak,  in  the  centre.  It  is  broad,  well  paved,  but  at  a  point 

7' 


154  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    ICIUP.  XTIII. 

of  critical  importance  hemmed  in  on  either  side  by  high  banks. 
And  just  where  these  steeps  become  most  dangerous  to  an  enemy, 
the  farm-house  and  inclosures  of  La  Haye  Sainte  abut  upon  it. 
The  inclosures  in  question  consist  of  a  brick  house,  with  a  garden 
and  orchard  attached,  the  orchard  running  longitudinally  along 
the  road-side  to  the  extent  of  perhaps  100  yards,  or  a  little  more. 
It  is  surrounded  everywhere  by  a  thick  hedge,  except  where  a 
stout  brick  wall  takes  up  the  fence,  and  going  back  to  the  front  of 
the  house,  forms  one  side  of  a  quadrangle  of  buildings.  The 
other  three  sides  consist  of  a  long  barn,  which  joins  on  to  cow- 
houses and  stables ;  and  these  again  connect  themselves  with  an- 
other wall  that  rests  against  the  house.  The  great  entrance  to 
this  quadrangle  is  from  the  high  road.  There  are  other  door- 
ways which  go  out  into  the  orchard  and  garden,  but  there  is  no 
outlet  looking  up  towards  the  top  of  the  ridge ;  and  as,  in  the 
hurry  of  preparation,  those  whose  especial  business  it  was  to  see 
to  such  matters  forgot  to  break  one  through,  it  stood  there  a  per 
feet  redoubt,  weak  only  in  this,  that  the  means  of  throwing  in 
supplies  were  wanting,  except  at  one  point,  and  that  unfortunately 
turned  away  from  immediate  communication  with  the  main  army. 
It  was  a  formidable  post  in  advance,  therefore,  and  might  have 
been  held  like  Plougomont,  but  for  the  occurrence  of  events 
which  shall  be  detailed  in  their  proper  place ;  and  the  Duke  did 
not  neglect  to  occupy  it,  much  to  the  damage  of  the  French 
columns,  which  suffered  fearfully  in  their  repeated  efforts  to 
carry  it. 

Moreover,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  and  but  a  little  in 
rear  of  La  Hayc  Sainte,  there  is  a  sand-pit :  it  is  wide  enough*  to 
contain  150  men,  with  ample  room  to  ply  their  muskets  effi- 
ciently. That  also  was  filled  with  troops,  who  held  the  ground 
throughout  the  whole  day,  and  wrought  great  damage  to  the 
enemy. 

The  other  road  falls  in  obliquely  upon  the  right  of  the  position. 
It  passes  from  Nivellcs,  and  joins  the  Charleroi  chausse  at  the 
village  of  Mont  St.  Jean.  But  this  road  is  efficiently  guarded — 
on  the  east,  or  (looking  down  from  Mont  St.  Jean)  the  left  side, 
by  the  inclosures  of  Ilougomont :  on  the  west,  or  right  side,  by 


JIIAP.  xvin.J  POSITION  OP  WATERLOO.  155 

a  wood,  along  the  face  of  which  runs  a  country  road  leading  to 
the  hamlet  of  Braine  la  Leud.  The  wood  is  very  defensible, 
being  sufficiently  open  to  allow  troops  to  act,  yet  close  enough  to 
prevent  the  advance  of  a  column  or  the  progress  of  cavalry  or 
guns ;  and  as  the  country  breaks,  in  its  rear,  into  fresh  ridges,  or 
rather  swelling  downs,  the  opportunity  was  afforded  of  keeping 
masses  so  in  hand  that  any  tirailleurs  which  might  force  their 
way  through  must  be  overwhelmed  ere  time  was  afforded  either 
to  form  them  up  or  to  support  them  efficiently. 

Of  Hougomont  itself  the  description  is  soon  given.  It  is  a 
chateau,  with  farm-buildings  attached,  built  in  the  old  Flemish 
style,  with  a  court-yard  approachable  through  an  arched  gateway, 
and  a  high  tower  flanking  it.  The  stables  are  at  right  angles 
with  this  front  wall ;  a  barn-yard,  also  walled  in,  lies  behind 
them  ;  a  garden,  in  like  manner  walled,  adjoins  to  this  ;  and  be- 
yond it,  to  the  east  of  the  mansion,  is  an  extensive  walled  orchard. 
A  thick  wood,  surrounded  by  a  strong  hedge,  and  covered  with  a 
wet  ditch,  fronts  house,  barns,  and  garden  ;  and  is  joined  on  the 
east  by  a  sort  of  meadow,  fenced  in  like  the  rest  of  the  premises. 
Attached  to  the  mansion  is  a  chapel,  with  a  large  wooden  crucifix 
above  the  door,  which  stands  at  the  south-west  extremity  of  this 
little  pile,  and  faces  the  altar.  Finally,  the  gardens,  laid  out  in 
terraces,  afford  admirable  cover  to  troops  if  they  seek  to  main- 
tain the  place  ;  and  as  there  is  a  back  approach  as  well  as  a  front 
one,  the  lines  of  communication  between  the  place  and  the 
heights  which  from  the  English  side  look  down  upon  it,  are 
abundant. 

These  two  inclosures  constituted  the  advanced  works  on  the 
right  and  centre  of  the  English  position.  The  left,  as  has 
already  been  explained,  was  more  open  ;  but  even  there  the  farm 
of  La  Haye,  with  the  hamlet  called  Papellotte,  though  somewhat 
too  much  pushed  forward,  were  not  without  their  value  ;  and  ad- 
ditional security  was  given  to  them  by  the  proximity  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Louvain,  where,  as  the  road  by  which  he  had  reason  to 
expect  that  the  Prussians  would  arrive,  the  Duke  had  a  sufficient 
garrison.  Thus  on  the  three  points  by  which  he  must  of  neces- 
sity be  assailed,  the  English  general  had  posts,  whence  a  flanking 


156  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xviu, 

fire  commanded  the  whole  slope — in  one  direction  effectively,  be- 
cause with  a  double  line — in  the  other  to  an  extent  which  could 
not  be  overlooked  or  lightly  thought  of. 

The  inclosures  were  all  on  the  slope  of  the  ground,  and  two  of 
them  within  point-blank  range  of  musketry.  On  the  ridge  itself 
stood  the  first  line,  consisting  of  Vivian's  light  cavalry,  the  10th. 
18th,  and  1st  Hussars  of  the  King's  German  Legion  on  the  left 
of  all.  Next  to  them  were  drawn  up  Vandeleur's  brigade,  namely, 
the  llth,  12th,  and  IGth  Light  Dragoons.  Then  came  Picton's 
infantry  division,  its  left  consisting  of  the  5th  Hanoverian  bri- 
gade, under  Col.  von  Vencke,  to  which  succeeded  Best's,  being 
soldiers  of  the  same  nation ;  and  then  a  little  in  advance,  that  is 
to  say  on  the  further  side  of  a  road  yet  to  be  spoken  of,  Bylandt's 
Netherlanders,  being  a  brigade  of  Perponcher's  division,  consisting 
of  five  Dutch  and  one  Belgian  battalion.  But  they  did  not  stand 
alone  ;  for  about  two  hundred  yards  in  their  rear,  so  as  to  give 
support  both  to  them  and  Best's  troops,  stood  Pack's  brigade, 
namely,  the  3d  battalion  1st  Royals,  the  1st  battalion  42nd,  the 
2nd  battalion  44th,  and  the  92nd  Highlanders.  All  these  had 
suffered  severely  in  the  battle  of  Qttatre  Bras,  and  now  took 
their  places  in  very  reduced  numbers ',  but  their  hearts  were 
stout,  and  their  discipline  admirable,  and  they  were  all  well  tried 
before  the  day  ended 

"We  have  thus  followed  the  line  from  the  heights  above 
Louvain  to  the  proximity  of  the  Charleroi  road,  and  we  next  find 
Kempt  in  his  place  with  the  28th,  the  32nd,  the  1st  battalion 
79th,  and  the  1st  battalion  95th  Rifles.  From  this  latter  bat- 
talion two  companies  were  detached  to  hold  the  sand-pit  already 
referred  to ;  while  a  third  company  of  the  same  regiment  ex- 
tended itself  along  a  low  hedge,  which  runs  in  rear  of  the  pit, 
and  passes  to  an  extent  of  perhaps  150  yards  eastward  from  the 
road,  and  in  front  of  the  main  position.  The  riflemen  attended 
to  their  own  security  by  throwing  an  abattis  across  the  chaussee  : 
they  trusted  to  their  well-tried  weapons  to  render  the  task  of  re- 
moving it  an  arduous  one. 

From  the  right  of  this  road  the  3rd  (Alton's)  division  took  up 
fche  line.  The  2nd  brigade  King's  German  Legion,  under  Cot 


CHAP.  xvin.J  POSITION  OF  WATERLOO.  157 

Ompteda,  was  in  immediate  connection  with  the  Rifles.  It  con- 
sisted of  the  1st  and  2nd  light  battalions,  and  of  the  5th  and  8th 
battalions  of  the  line.  These,  with  the  1st  light,  were  formed  on 
the  position.  The  2nd  light  battalion  threw  itself  into  the  farm 
of  La  Haye  Sainte,  and  kept  it  nobly.  They  took  possession  of 
the  inclosures  at  daylight,  and  applied  themselves  immediately  to 
the  task  of  breaking  out  loop-holes  in  the  walls,  and  otherwise 
putting  the  place  in  a  state  of  defence  ;  and  though,  from  the  lack 
of  intrenching  tools,  their  work  was  somewhat  rudely  effected, 
they  found  in  their  own  devoted  courage  a  bulwark  better  than 
brick  walls.  They  were  weak  in  point  of  numbers,  mustering 
only  400  men  ;  and  their  stock  of  ammunition  was  scanty. 

Next  to  Ompteda's  brigade  came  that  of  Kielmansegge.  It 
was  composed  entirely  of  Hanoverians,  and  communicated  by  its 
right  with  the  5th  British  brigade,  of  which  Major-Gen.  Sir  Colin 
Halkett  was  at  the  head.  This  comprised  the  2nd  battalion 
30th,  the  1st  battalion  33rd,  the  2nd  battalion  69th,  the  2nd  bat- 
talion 73rd  regiments,  and  formed  on  the  curve  of  the  arc,  which 
now  began  to  bend  forward  in  the  direction  of  Hougomont.  And 
last  of  all,  on  the  extreme  right,  came  the  1st  division  (Cooke's), 
composed  entirely  of  the  household  troops,  of  which  two  brigades 
were  in  the  field.  These,  consisting  severally,  the  1st  brigade, 
of  the  2nd  and  3rd  battalions  1st  Foot-Guards,  under  Gen.  Mait- 
land ;  the  2nd,  of  2nd  battalion  Coldstream,  and  3rd  of  the  3rd 
Regiment,  under  Gen.  Byng,  were  drawn  up  en  echiquier,  that  is, 
the  four  columns  stood  apart  as  four  pieces  may  be  placed  upon 
a  draft-board ;  thus  guarding,  in  part,  the  inverted  face  of  the 
position,  and  in  part  giving  support  to  the  garrison  of  Hougo- 
mont :  for  that  important  post  had  been  assigned  to  them,  and 
they  filled  it  with  four  light  companies,  two  of  these  being  under 
the  command  of  Col.  MacDonnel,  and  .two  being  committed  to 
the  guidance  of  Col.  Lord  Saltoun.  Moreover,  these  officers  were 
strengthened  by  having  joined  to  them  the  1st  battalion  of  the 
2nd  regiment  of  Nassau,  a  company  of  Hanoverian  riflemen,  and 
100  men  detached  from  the  battalion  of  Lilncburg,  which  formed 
part  of  Kielmansegge's  brigade. 

Such,  properly  speaking,  was  the  first  lit  e  of  the  Allied  army 


158  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xvin. 


early  in  the  morning  of  the  18th.  It  was  supported  both  near 
and  at  a  little  distance, — the  Guards  and  Halkett,  by  the  cavalry 
brigades  of  Grant  and  Dornberg  immediately  ;  the  former  com- 
prising the  7th  and  15th  Hussars,'with  the  13th  Light  Dragoons  ; 
the  latter  consisting  of  the  23rd  Light  Dragoons  and  of  the  1st 
and  2nd  Light  Dragoon  regiments  of  the  King's  German  Legion. 
The  Cumberland  Hussars  came  next,  being  a  regiment  separated 
from  Col.  Von  Estorff 's  brigade,  which  had  gone  with  Sir  Charles 
Colville  to  watch  the  road  to  Hal,  and  of  which  there  will  be  oc 
casion  to  speak  by  and  by.  Then  appeared  the  3rd  Hussars  of 
the  King's  German  Legion,  with  which,  being  half  of  his  brigade, 
Col.  Arentschildt  served;  for  the  13th,  which  properly  belonged 
to  him,  had  been  disposed  of  elsewhere,  and  he  was  too  good  & 
soldier  to  complain.  And  lastly,  so  as  to  cover  Alton's  and  Pic 
ton's  divisions,  came  the  two  heavy  brigades — the  first,  called 
likewise  the  Household  brigade,  on  the  right  of  the  Charlero' 
road ;  the  second,  called  the  Union  Brigade,  in  consequence  of  th*. 
.  intermixture  of  the  corps  composing  it,  and  not  less  efficient  as 
regarded  either  men  or  horses,  on  the  left.  The  former,  which 
consisted  of  the  1st  and  2nd  Life  Guards,  of  the  Blues,  and  the 
1st  Dragoon  Guards,  was  under  the  immediate  orders  of  Lord 
Edward  Somerset;  the  latter,  comprising  the  1st  Koyal  Dra- 
goons, the  2nd  or  Scotch  Greys,  and  the  6th  or  Inniskillen,  were 
commanded  by  Major-Gen.  Sir  William  Ponsonby.  Of  the  rest 
of  the  British  cavalry  mention  has  already  been  made ;  it  held 
the  extreme  left  of  the  position. 

But  the  Duke  had  more  troops  than  these,  and  he  posted  them 
as  the  nature  of  the  ground  required.  For  example,  Hill's  in- 
fantry corps — except  that  portion  of  it  which  had  been  detached 
— formed,  en  potency  on  the  further  right  of  the  line.  It  con- 
sisted of  one  brigade  of, the  4th  division,  under  Col.  Mitchell, 
of  the  main  body  of  the  2nd  division,  under  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
of  Du  Plat's  brigade  of  the  King's  German  Legion,  and  Hal- 
kett's  Hanoverians.  These  were  drawn  up  partly  along  that 
portion  of  the  Hougomont  avenue  which  is  nearest  to  the  Ni- 
velles  road,  partly  on  the  rising  ground  at  the  back  of  it — 
though  a  good  way  below  its  ridge — and  partly  on  the  plateau 


CHAP,  xviii.]  POSITION  OF  WATERLOO.  159 

itself — at  once  protecting  the  right,  and  being  in  a  condition  to 
give  support  wherever  it  might  be  wanted.  Mitchell's  brigade, 
consisting  of  the  14th,  23rd,  and  51st  Regiments,  had  charge  of 
the  lower  ground  :  Adams's  light  brigade,  composed  of  the  52nd, 
71st,  and  2nd  battalion  Rifles,  with  Du  Plat's  Germans,  stood 
above  them,  between  Merbe  Braine  and  the  Nivelles  road ; 
while  Halkett's  Hanoverians,  in  rear  of  Adams's,  covered  the 
village  of  Merbe  Braine  itself,  and  filled  the  north  side  of  the 
plateau. 

Finally  the  reserves,  consisting  of  Brunswickers  and  Dutch- 
Belgians,  as  well  horse  as  foot,  formed  in  a  second  line  from 
Merbe  Braine  to  the  village  of  Mont  St.  Jean  ;  and  they  were 
strengthened  by  the  Gth  British  brigade  under  Lambert,  which, 
consisting  of  the  4th,  27th,  and  40th  Regiments,  had  just  arrived 
by  forced  marches  from  Ostend. 

Of  the  position  of  the  artillery  it  would  be  idle  to  speak. 
Wherever  a  gun  could  see,  there  it  stood.  On  the  extreme  left, 
and  attached  to  Vivian's  cavalry,  might  be  seen  Sir  Robert  Gar- 
diner's six  guns  of  the  horse-artillery.  Above  the  hamlet  of 
Papelotte  were  four  guns,  being  the  half  of  Capt.  Byleveld's 
Dutch-Belgian  battery,  and  the  other  half  crowned  the  crest  of 
the  ridge  just  behind  Perponcher's  infantry.  Capt.  von  Rett- 
borg's  Hanoverian  foot  battery  occupied  the  loftiest  ridge  on  the 
left  of  the  position.  Major  Rogers's  six  guns  were  in  front  of 
Kempt,  Major  Llyod's  and  Capt.  Cleves's  were  with  Alton's  divi- 
sion. Major  Kuhlman's  German  and  Capt.  Sandharn's  English 
guns  were  attached  to  Cooke.  All  these  were  in  the  front  line, 
as  were  Col.  Sir  Hugh  Rosse's  which  took  post  on  the  height  im- 
mediately in  rear  of  La  Haye  Sainte,  with  two  pieces  on  the 
Cliarleroi  road.  Major  Sympler's  German  and  Capt.  Bolton's 
English  batteries  were  with  Clinton's  division.  All  the  rest  of 
the  horse-artillery  formed  in  the  morning  beside  the  cavalry.  Ma- 
jor Bull's  howitzers  were  there ;  so  were  Lieut.  Col.  Webber's 
guns,  so  were  Capt.  Mercer's,  so  were  Major  Ramsay's.  Tho 
Dutch-Belgian  and  Brunswick  artillery  took  post  at  first  with 
the  corps  of  which  they  formed  a  part,  and  one  of  the  former, 
under  Gen.  Chasst',  was  thrown  into  Braine-la-Leud,  where  it  re- 


160  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xvin. 

mained  all  day.  Finally,  two  British  and  one  Hanoverian  bat- 
tery, under  Major  Benson,  Capt.  Sinclair,  and  Capt.  Bram,  formed 
a  reserve  at  Mont  St.  Jean.  But  these  were  only  the  arrange- 
ments incident  on  the  first  formation  of  the  troops.  In  the  course 
of  the  day  every  battery  present  was  brought  into  action,  and  not 
even  the  records  of  that  noble  corps  can  point  to  an  occasion  in 
which  they  better  did  their  work. 


CHAP,  xix.]  FRENCH  POSITION.  161 


CHAPTER     XIX. 

French  Position. 

HE  takes  but  an  imperfect  view  of  a  military  position  who  re- 
gards it  only  from  the  front,  and  looks  no  farther  than  to  satisfy 
himself  regarding  the  probable  difficulty  of  its  approaches. 
Troops  are  comparatively  helpless  ;  they  are  necessarily  very  in- 
secure unless  the  communications  -between  one  part  of  the  line 
and  another  be  easy,  and  lines  of  retreat  be  open  in  the  event  of 
a  reverse.  Now,  in  both  these  respects  the  field  of  Waterloo 
needs  only  to  be  examined  with  a  soldier's  eye,  and  its  eligibility 
becomes  at  once  apparent.  With  respect  to  the  means  of  com- 
municating along  the  whole  extent  of  his  line,  the  Duke  had  these 
in  abundance.  Besides  that  the  plateau  in  his  front  was  gener- 
ally open  and  level,  a  road  ran  there,  by  which,»let  the  difficul- 
ties elsewhere  be  what  they  might,  it  was  at  all  times  in  his  power 
to  march  men.  horses,  and  cannon.  The  road  in  question  leads 
from  Wavre  to  the  Charleroi  cliauss6e,  and,  crossing  that,  goes 
on  in  a  curved  line  till  it  falls  upon  the  Nivelles  road  in  the  rear 
of  Hougomont.  Though  not  paved,  it  is  sufficiently  made  to  en- 
dure a  great  deal  of  trampling,  and  is  constantly  used,  in  winter 
as  well  as  in  summer,  as  a  line  of  traffic.  In  rear  of  this,  again, 
there  are  other  roads ;  one  diverging  from  the  Wavre  road  along 
the  front  of  Merbe  Braine  to  Braine-la-Leud  ;  the  other  stretch- 
ing from  Mont  St.  Jean  towards  one  of  the  various  paths  which 
pass  upwards  from  Papelotte  and  La  Haye  to  Brussels.  More- 
over, in  the  hollow  which  interposes  between  the  Duke's  first  line 
and  the  ridge  of  Mont  St.  Jean,  there  are  no  obstacles  which 
might  not  be  surmounted,  even  by  artillery ;  and  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  the  valley  is  protected  from  any  fire  that  might  come 
from  the  French  side  of  the  field.  The  Duke's  communications 
were  therefore  as  secure  and  as  facile  as  the  most  nervous  could 


162  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xix. 

desire ;  and  as  regarded  his  means  of  retreat,  they,  too,  were 
abundant. 

In  the  first  place,  the  forcing  of  his  more  advanced  line, 
though  considering  the  condition  of  his  arrny,  it  must  have 
shaken  him  terribly,  did  not  necessarily  involve  the  loss  of  the 
battle.  His  second  line  was  quite  as  tenable  as  his  first ;  indeed 
it  may  be  a  question  whether,  but  for  the  proximity  of  that  on 
which  he  made  his  stand,  it  was  not  more  defensible.  He  had 
the  villages  of  Merbe  Braine  and  Mont  St.  Jean,  besides  a  scat- 
tered hamlet  which  lies  to  the  right  of  the  latter,  to  fall  back 
upon  ;  and  these,  like  the  ground  from  which  he  is  supposed  to 
have  retired,  crowned  a  sloping  height,  and  had  a  clear  glacis  be- 
fore them.  Then  the  two  great  roads  were  at  his  disposal.  To 
be  sure  these  unite  at  the  village  of  Waterloo,  and  become  one 
wide  causeway  ;  but  it  must  not  therefore  be  assumed,  that  only 
by  that  can  carriages  make  their  way  through  the  forest  of 
Soignies.  Three  excellent  roads  at  least,  with  others  not  unfit 
for  cavalry,  traverse  the  whole  width  of  the  forest ;  and  the  forest 
itself  is  everywhere  passable  for  infantry.  Had  the  worst,  there- 
fore, befallen — had  the  allied  army  been  driven  out  of  both  its 
positions,  the  Duke  had  it  always  in  his  power  to  send  off  his 
guns,  tumbrils,  stores,  and  cavalry  by  these  roads,  while  by  the 
simple  process  of  filling  the  wood  with  skirmishers,  he  might 
have  effectually  blocked  it  against  every  effort  of  the  pursuers  ; 
for  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  force  resolute  men  through  a  fine  open 
beech  wood,  where  every  tree  offers  shelter  to  a  sharp-shooter ; 
and  where,  as  in  this  instance,  the  total  absence  of  brushwood 
leaves  the  skirmishers  free  to  choose  their  own  time  as  well  as 
direction  of  retreat.  Moreover,  the  Duke  had  in  his  rear  points 
d'appui  from  which  Napoleon  would  have  found  it  impossible  to 
drive  him  ere  the  Austrians  or  Russians  should  have  made  their 
appearance.  With  the  wreck  of  the  army  which  he  commanded 
at  Waterloo,  he  could  have  held  Antwerp  forever ;  and  though 
the  political  consequences  of  the  fall  of  Brussels  might  have  been 
serious,  they  could  not  possibly  avert  the  doom  with  which 
Napoleon  was  threatened.  Thanks,  however,  under  Providence,  to 
the  Duke's  masterly  arrangements,  and  to  the  devoted  gallantry 


f HAP.  xix.]  FRENCH  POSITION.  163 

of  the  men  whom  he  commanded,  the  position  of  Waterloo  was 
not  forced,  nor  was  ever  in  danger.  Nor  has  so  much  as  an  al- 
lusion been  made  to  the  possible  occurrence  of  a  different  result, 
except  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  he  who  fought  for  victory, 
and  won  it,  was  not,  therefore,  indifferent  to  or  unprepared  for 
defeat. 

And  now,  before  we  proceed  further  with  our  history,  it  may 
be  well  to  cast  our  eyes  over  the  ground  as  it  was  occupied  by 
the  enemy,  in  order  to  ascertain,  as  far  as  circumstances  will 
allow,  what  dispositions  were  made  by  Napoleon,  and  how  far 
they  warranted  his  acknowledged  confidence  of  success. 

It  is  not  worth  while  to  inquire  how  the  various  divisions  of  the 
French  army  disposed  of  themselves  during  the  night  of  the 
17th.  As  soon  as  the  state  of  the  weather  on  the  18th  would 
permit,  they  began  to  put  themselves  in  order  of  battle,  and  the 
ground  on  which  they  drew  up  resembled  very  much,  in  its  prin- 
cipal features,  that  which  the  Duke  of  Wellington  had  occupied. 
About  1600  or  1700  yards  removed  from  the  crest  of  the  English 
position  is  a  range  of  heights,  which  passes  in  a  sort  of  semicircle 
from  Frischermont  oa  the  east  to  a  bend  in  the  Braine-la-Leud 
road  on  the  west,  by  which  Hougomont  is  overlapped.  It  is 
rather  more  elevated  throughout  than  that  on  which  the  Anglo- 
Belgian  army  stood,  and  here  and  there  it  overlooks  the  latter 
position  considerably  ;  but  in  no  part  is  it  so  elevated  as  to  give 
a  commanding  view  of  what  lay  beyond  the  Duke's  position,  far 
less  to  offer  facilities,  by  the  fire  of  cannon,  to  impede  the  move- 
ments of  his  reserves.  The  two  great  roads  from  Charleroi  to 
Nivelles  passed  through  the  French  position,  as  they  did  through 
that  of  the  allies.  The  Charleroi  road,  indeed,  completely  inter- 
sected Napoleon's  line  just  as  it  did  that  of  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton, while  the  chaussee  from  Nivelles,  touching  upon  his  extreme 
left,  bore,  though  inclining  eastward,  through  the  centre  of  the 
English  right,  and  would  have  led  any  columns  that  had  suc- 
ceeded in  following  it  between  Hougomont  and  Merbe  lirainc. 
On  this  side  of  these  downs,  as  well  as  on  the  other,  the  fields 
were  open  and  in  a  state  of  cultivation.  There  was  nothing  to 
check  the  advance  of  troops,  except  the  fire  which  might  bo 


1C4  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xix. 

directed  upon  them  from  the  opposite  ridge ;  and  two  country 
paths,  passing  from  the  very  centre  of  the  position,  would  have 
offered  facilities  for  the  movement  of  masses  against  both  the 
right  and  the  left  of  the  English  line  if  the  intervening  fields 
had  not  been  open. 

The  order  of  battle,  as  arranged  by  Napoleon,  threw  his  army 
into  two  lines  and  a  reserve.  The  first  line  consisted  of  infantry, 
flanked  right  and  left  by  cavalry,  and  was  composed  of  the  1st 
and  2nd  corps  d'armee,  commanded  respectively  by  D'Erlon  and 
lleille.  The  1st  corps  was  on  the  right.  It  extended  from  La 
Belle  Alliance  eastward  in  the  direction  of  Frischermont,  and  was 
covered  on  its  extreme  right  by  Jacqueminot's  cavalry  division, 
which,  facing  Ohain,  kept  the  chateau  of  Frischermont  in  posses- 
sion, and  threw  out  patrols  so  as  to  guard  against  the  approaches 
of  an  enemy.  The  2nd  stretched  away  in  a  curved  line  from  the 
left  of  the  same  road  across  the  Nivelles  chaussee,  and  had  its 
flank  protected,  just  beyond  the  latter,  by  Fire's  cavalry.  D'Er- 
lon's  corps  comprehended  four  divisions ;  .Heille's  numbered  but 
three.  They  were  both  drawn  up  in  a  double  line  of  brigades — 
the  first  being  in  advance  of  the  second  by  sixty  yards  only ;  and, 
strange  to  say  for  a  French  army,  which  seldom  attacks  except 
in  column,  every  battalion  was  deployed.  Five  batteries,  com- 
prising eight  guns  in  each,  ranged  themselves  along  the  front  of 
the  right  of  this  line,  with  a  sixth,  consisting  of  12  pounders,  in 
support,  while  six  guns  of  horse-artillery  took  post  on  the  right 
of  Jacqueminot's  cavalry.  The  left  was  strengthened  by  the 
presence  of  thirty-one  pieces,  besides  six  which  stood  upon  the 
Nivelles  road ;  and  on  either  side  of  it,  and  in  the  direction  of 
]3raine-la-Leud,  both  infantry  and  artillery  were  detached. 

The  second  French  line  consisted  entirely  of  cavalry,  with  the 
exception  of  two  infantry  divisions  forming  part  of  Count  Lobau's 
— that  is,  the  6th  corps.  These  formed  in  columns  of  battalions 
on  the  left,  or  west  side  of  the  Charleroi  road,  and  stood  with  an 
interval  between  the  head  of  the  one  and  the  tail  of  the  other  of 
about  200  yards.  The  horse  were  distributed  thus : — Imme- 
diately on  the  right,  or  east  side  of  the  Charleroi  road,  were  drawn 
up.  in  close  columns  of  regiments  by  squadrons,  two  divisions  of 


CHA?.  x.v]  FRENCH  POSITION.  1G5 

light  cavalry,  under  Gens.  Doraont  and  Colbert  respectively ;  to 
the  right  of  these,  so  as  .to  support  D'Erlon's  corps,  stood  Mil- 
haud's  heavy  horse ;  to  the  left  of  the  road,  and  in  rear  of  Reille's 
infantry,  Kellermann  took  his  station :  these  were  further,  as  well 
as  the  infantry  in  the  second  line,  well  sustained  by  artillery,  not 
fewer  than  38  pieces  being  in  position  on  the  right  of  this  line, 
and  28  on  the  left;  and  finally,  in  reserve,  the  Imperial  Guard 
drew  up,  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  right  and  left  of  the 
road.  The  cavalry  of  this  magnificent  corps  formed  in  rear  of 
Milhaud's  and  Kellermann's  divisions — Lefebvre-Desnouettes, 
with  his  char.seurs  and  lancers,  covering  the  former — Guyot,  with 
his  grenadiers  and  dragoons,  affording  support  to  the  latter.  The 
infantry  took  its  ground  in  six  lines  of  four  battalions  each,  at  a 
distance  of  twenty  yards  one  from  the  other,  and  not  fewer  than 
72  pieces  of  cannon  were  distributed  among  them  and  the  cavalry. 
Last  of  all,  in  a  line  with  the  village  of  llossomme,  stood  three 
batteries  of  eight  guns  apiece,  which  were  held  in  hand  to  be  used 
as  emergencies  might  arise,  and  near  which  the  stores  of  reserve 
ammunition  were  parked. 

From  the  above  description  it  will  be  seen,  that  for  all  the  pur- 
poses of  offensive  operation  the  dispositions  made  by  Napoleon 
were  as  judicious  as  circumstances  would  admit  of.  If  he  did  not 
overlap  the  ground  on  which  the  English  stood,  he  was  free  tc 
move  his  columns  of  attack  against  any  part  of  it  which  might 
seem  to  be  the  weakest ;  and  his  own  position  was  such  as  to  ren- 
der a  direct  attack  by  a  force  not  superior  to  his  own  dangerous 
in  the  extreme.  It  is  true  that  his  rear  was  not  very  well  cared 
for.  lie  had  no  line  of  retreat  in  the  event  of  a  reverse,  except 
the  great  chaussecs  to  Charlcroi  and  Nivelles ;  and  the  former, 
as  experience  must  have  already  taught  him,  was  by  no  means 
pervious  throughout.  Two  country  roads,  moreover,  fell  in  from 
St.  Lambert  on  his  right,  one  of  which  passed  immediately  in 
rear  of  Lefebvre's  division,  while  the  other,  running  parallel  with 
the  Lasne  stream,  traversed  a  wood,  which  formed  the  outskirts  of 
Planchenoit.  But  retreat  was  a  manoeuvre  on  which  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  calculated,  and  ho  either  did  not  entertain  any  fears 
of  molestation  from  his  right,  or  affected  to  despise  the  danger. 


166 


STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xix. 


And  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  while  criticizing  his  arrangements  in 
the  field,  that  he  had  a  desperate  game  to  play,  as  well  as  some 
grounds  of  sure  hope  to  rely  upon.  He  knew  that  defeat  must  be 
ruin  ;  and  he  had  been  led  to  believe,  that  in  the  ranks  of  the 
army  immediately  opposed  to  him  were  thousands  who,  if  they 
had  but  the  opportunity,  would  pass  over  to  him  as  soon  as  his 
standards  were  unfurled.  Let  him  not,  therefore,  be  blamed  for 
arranging  his  army  in  order  of  battle  with  very  unusual  display, 
and  throwing  all,  as  he  unquestionably  did,  upon  the  result  of  the 
struggle.  Had  he  gone  a  little  further,  and  cast  his  own  life  into 
the  same  venture,  it  would  have  been  better  for  his  reputation  at 
this  day.  However,  it  is  not  worth  while  either  to  find  fault, 
where  the  opportunity  of  amending  errurs  is  lost,  or  to  speculate 
upon  contingencies  which  never  come  again.  Better  for  our  pres- 
ent purpose  will  it  be  to  set  forth  in  a  tabular  form  the  relative 
strength  of  the  armies  which  faced  one  another,  and  which  were 
about  to  battle  for  stakes  more  momentous  than  in  the  history  of 
the  civilized  world  had  before  been  played  for.  The  following 
may  be  received  as  a  tolerably  accurate  account  of  this  matter. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington  had  detached,  first,  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  troops  to  garrison  the  fortresses,  and  next,  Sir  Charles 
Colville's  corps,  including  the  division  of  Prince  Frederick  of 
Nassau,  for  the  protection  of  Hal  and  the  great  road  from  Mons 
which  passes  through  it.  He  therefore  brought  into  the  field  : — 


Infantry. 

Cavalry. 

Artillery. 

Guns. 

British     '    .     . 

15,181 

5813 

2.967 

78 

King's  German  Legion      .     . 
Hanoverians    

3,304 
10,258 

1,991 
467 

526 
*   466 

18 
12 

Brunswickers  )    
Nassauers         

4,586 
2,880 

866 

510 

16 

Dutch  Belgians    

13,402 

3,205 

1,117 

32 

Total     

49,608 

12,402 

5,645 

15G 

Grand  Total 


67,655  men,  156  guns. 


Napoleon,  having  detached  Grouchy  with  the  troops  elsewhere 
enumerated,  confronted  these  with — 


CHAP,  xix.]  FRENCH  POSITION.  167 

Infantry  .  .  .  48,950 
Cavalry  .  .  .  15,765 
Artillery  .  .  .  7,03'J 

Total     .     .      71,917  men,  with  i246  guns. 

In  point  of  mere  numbers  the  strength  of  the  opposing  armies 
cannot  therefore  be  said  to  have  differed  very  widely.  But  if  the 
composition  of  the  corps  be  taken  into  account,  the  preponderance 
on  the  side  of  the  French  was  terrible.  Napoleon's  soldiers  were 
all  enthusiastically  devoted  to  their  leader.  They  were  composed 
of  one  nation,  had  one  system  of  tactics,  knew  their  chiefs,  were 
filled  with  military  ardor,  had  been  led  to  believe  that  they  would 
find  friends  in  the  ranks  that  stood  opposed  to  them,  and  counted 
on  victory  as  certain.  Wellington's  army  was  made  up  of  raw 
levies  gathered  from  five  or  six  separate  sources.  Even  his  Brit- 
ish troops  were  not  the  men  whom  he  had  trained  to  fight  and  to 
conquer  in  the  Peninsula ;  and  as  to  the  rest,  they  were  all  in  a 
state  of  discipline  which  rendered  it  perilous,  not  to  say  impossible, 
to  manoeuvre  with  them  under  fire.  Indeed,  the  fidelity  of  some 
and  the  animal  courage  of  others  were  little  to  be  depended  upon  ; 
and  in  regard  to  their  systems  of  moving  and  forming,  there  was 
no  uniformity  among  them.  Still  the  confidence  of  their  leader 
seems  to  have  been  throughout  as  high,  and  as  conspicuously  dis- 
played, as  that  of  his  illustrious  opponent ;  and  the  result  of  the 
battle,  which  it  has  become  my  business  to  describe,  shows  that 
on  whatever  grounds  rested,  it  was  not  misplaced. 


168      STORV  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.   CHAP.  xx. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

Last  preparations — First  Shots. 

THE  morning  of  the  18th  of  June  came  in  lowering  and  heavy. 
The  rain  which  had  fallen  during  the  night  seemed  to  have  re- 
lieved the  clouds  of  the  weightiest  portion  of  their  burthen ;  but 
the  clouds  still  covered  the  face  of  the  sky,  and  a  thick  drizzle 
continued  to  proceed  from  them  till  the  day  was  considerably  ad- 
vanced. The  surface  of  the  country  was  saturated  with  water 
A  deep  clay  soil,  covered  for  the  most  part  with  standing  corn, 
drank  in  and  long  retained  the  moisture,  and  offered  serious  obsta- 
cles to  the  movements  of  guns,  and  even  to  the  manoeuvring  of 
cavalry.  Doubtless  this  circumstance  had  its  weight  in  keeping 
Napoleon  quiet  much  longer  than  his  opponent  expected.  The 
enemy  had  shown  their  strength,  and  taken  up  their  ground  with 
more  than  their  accustomed  display,  as  early  as  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  But  hour  after  hour  stole  on,  and  neither  by  cannon- 
shot,  nor  hurra  from  infantry  or  cavalry,  was  any  warning  given 
that  the  battle  was  about  to  commence.  Meanwhile,  the  Duke 
disposed  his  divisions  and  brigades  beside  the  various  posts  on 
the  position  which  they  were  intended  to  maintain.  They  were 
all,  however,  posted  in  rear  of  the  ridge,  where  the  infantry  lay 
down,  and  the  cavalry  dismounted  ;  and  so  little  was  seen  of 
them  when  the  day  fully  broke,  that  Napoleon  is  described  to 
have  fallen  into  the  error  of  supposing  that  the  whole  had  re- 
treated. It  is  further  said  that  he  was  venting  his  spleen  in 
strong  terms  when  Gen.  Foy,  whose  services  in  the  Peninsula 
had  made  him  acquainted  with  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  tactics, 
rode  up.  "  Your  Majesty  is  distressing  yourself  without  just 
reason,"  said  he ;  "  Wellington  never  shows  his  troops  till  they 
are  needed.  A  patrol  of  horse  will  soon  find  out  whether  he  is 
before  us  or  not ;  and  if  he  be,  I  warn  your  Majesty  that  the 


CHAP,  xx.]  LAST  PREPARATIONS.  1G9 

English  infantry  are  the  very  devil  in  the  fight."  A  patrol  of 
horse  was  not,  however,  sent  out,  and  neither  was  it  necessary. 
The  rains  of  the  previous  day  and  night  having  soiled,  and  ren- 
dered dubious  the  efficiency  of  their  muskets,  the  English  regi- 
ments were  directed,  by  portions  at  a  time,  to  clean  their  arms  ; 
and  the  process  of  firing  off  the  charge  being  at  once  quicker  and 
more  satisfactory  than  drawing,  a  good  deal  of  loose  fusillading 
ensued.  It  seemed  to  satisfy  Napoleon  that  his  game  had  not 
escaped  ;  and  he  proceeded,  as  has  already  been  explained,  to  un- 
fold his  own  troops  in  their  order  of  battle'. 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  Duke  of  Wellington  threw  some 
anxious  glances  in  the  direction  from  which  he  expected  to  se- 
cure the  co-operation  of  the  Prussians.  He  did  not  look  in  vain. 
Long  before  a  shot  was  fired  or  a  movement  of  attack  hazarded, 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  perceiving  on  an  eminence  above  Ohaia 
a  body  of  mounted  men,  which  he  could  not  doubt  formed  a  por- 
tion of  Bluchers  army,  and  of  whom  he  expected  in  due  time  to 
learn  tidings.  Nor  was  he  disappointed.  In  about  an  hour,  or 
perhaps  more,  a  Prussian  patrol  entered  Smohain,  where  a  picket 
of  the  10th  Hussars  was  on  duty ;  and  the  officer  commanding  it 
being  forwarded  to  the  Duke's  presence,  informed  him  that  Bil- 
low's corps  was  beyond  St.  Lambert,  and  might  momentarily  be 
expected.  The  Prussian  officer  did  not  know  that  the  march  of 
Billow's  corps  had  been  retarded  in  the  manner  described  in  a 
previous  chapter;  for  he  himself,  being  sent  out  from  its  ad- 
vanced guard,  assumed,  as  was  natural,  that  the  rear  was  well 
closed  up.  But  his  information,  though  inaccurate  in  its  details, 
was,  in  regard  to  its  general  purport,  correct ;  and  if  it  led  the 
Duke  to  anticipate  an  earlier  support  than  was  actually  afforded, 
his  Grace  entered  into  the  battle  not  the  less  confident,  because 
he  knew  that  his  ally  was  marching  to  assist  him. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Napoleon,  having  completed  the 
lust  of  his  preparations,  and  dispatched  to  Grouchy  the  order,  of 
which  a  free  translation  has  been  inserted  elsewhere,  rode  along 
the  front  of  his  lines.  A  brilliant  staff  attended  him ;  and  the 
shouts  with  which  he  was  greeted,  as  he  passed  from  regiment  to 
regiment,  c.unc  up  the  face  of  the  opposing  heights  like  the  rush- 

8 


170  'STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CUAP.  xx. 

ing  of  a  mighty  wind.  They  struck  no  terror,  however,  into  the 
breasts  of  the  brave  men  who  heard  them ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
only  sensations  stirred  seem  to  have  been,  first,  admiration  of 
the  magnificent  military  spectacle  before  them,  and  next,  a  set- 
tled resolution  to  maintain  against  Napoleon  himself  the  glory 
which  the  British  arms  had  achieved  against  the  ablest  of  his 
lieutenants.  The  Duke  of  Wellington  was  not  less  careful  to 
take  a  last  survey  of  his  order  of  battle  ere  it  should  be  tried. 
Having  seen  that  all  was  right  elsewhere,  he  rode  down  to  Hou- 
gomont,  and  following  a  lane  which  passes  diagonally  through 
the  wood  in  the  direction  of  La  Belle  Alliance,  stopped  for  some 
minutes  on  the  eastern  slant  of  the  thicket.  He  accurately  sur- 
veyed from  that  point  the  portion  of  the  enemy's  masses  which 
was  opposite  to  him,  and  forthwith  caused  a  few  changes  to  be. 
made  in  the  disposition  of  the  troops  which  held  the  inclosurc. 
He  withdrew  the  light  companies  of  the  1st  brigade  of  Guards 
from  the  wood,  and  placed  them  in  the  great  orchard,  while  the 
Nassau  battalion  and  Hanoverian  light  infantry  took  up  their 
ground.  He  likewise  caused  the  light  companies  of  the  2nd  bri- 
gade to  move  along  the  rear  of  the  inclosure,  and  form  upon  a 
lane  which  runs  between  the  right  of  the  building  and  the  kitchen- 
garden.  This  done,  he  galloped  back  to  the  crest  of  the  position, 
and  began  to  chat  to  the  numerous  staff  which  attended  on  him, 
with  as  much  liveliness  and  as  perfect  self-possession  as  if  they 
were  about  to  take  part  in  a  review. 

With  the  first  dawn  of  day  the  pickets  on  both  sides  had 
drawn  in  their  advanced  sentries.  By  and  by  the  French  filed 
up  the  slope  of  their  own  heights,  while  the  English  in  like  man- 
ner either  returned  to  their  regiments,  or  joined  the  irregular 
line  of  skirmishers  which  lay  in  front  of  the  whole  position. 
There  was  not  much  cover  for  these  last — none,  indeed,  except  hert. 
and  there  a  low  straggling  hedge,  or  a  field  of  r}*e,  the  tall  grain 
waving  above  which  might  hide  them  from  the  immediate  notice 
of  the  enemy.  Bui  there  they  were  extended  in  loose  order, 
from  the  rear  of  the  orchard  of  Hougomont  to  the  back  of  La 
Haye  Sainte,  and  again  across  the  Charleroi  road,  all  the  way  to 
the  row  of  trees  which  runs  in  front  of  Papclotte  and  La  Haye. 


CIUP.  xx.]  1.AST  PREPARATIONS.  171 

The  men  moved  not  at  all.  Flat  upon  the  ground,  in  double 
files,  they  lay,  and  conversed  cheerily  one  with  another,  while  the 
officers  passing  to  and  fro  kept  a  good  look-out  a-hcad,  and  told 
them  from  time  to  time  to  be  ready.  Now  it  was  seen  that  the 
lines  on  the  opposite  ridge  were  changing  their  formations. 
Now  each  battalion  threw  itself  into  a  column  of  companies,  while 
two  or  three,  or  more,  formed  a  colonne  serree :  thus  showing 
that  Napoleon  adhered  to  that  order  of  attack  which,  though 
uniformally  unsuccessful  against  the  English,  was  by  him  and  his 
lieutenants  esteemed  the  best ;  and  finally,  on  the  French  left, 
just  where  it  threatened  the  inclosures  of  Hougomont,  one  of 
those  masses  began  to  move.  What  a  moment  was  that  for  all 
who  were  present  in  the  field,  from  the  Commandcr-in-Chief  down 
to  the  meanest  sentinel !  Now  then,  at  last,  Napoleon  and  the 
Duke  were  on  the  eve  of  measuring  their  swords.  He  who  had 
triumphed  over  the  most  distinguished  of  the  marshals  of  France 
was  going  to  throw  his  renown  into  the  balance  against  one  whom 
all  living  generals  had  acknowledged  to  be  their  superior ;  and  to 
receive  a  great  battle,  at  the  head  of  raw  and  disjointed  troops, 
from  the  best  appointed  and  best  disciplined  army  that  even 
Napoleon  had  ever  led.  What  the  Duke  may  have  felt  will  prob- 
ably never  be  known.  He  was  calm,  and  gentle,  and  collected, 
as  in  moments  of  especial  hazard  and  under  a  heavy  responsibil- 
ity he  had  always  been  seen  to  be ;  and  if,  among  the  less  prac- 
tised warriors  who  followed  him,  there  were  some  whose  hearts 
slightly  misgave  them,  who  can  be  surprised  at  the  circumstance  ? 
It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  the  period  of  the  commencement 
of  the  battle  of  Waterloo  has  been  differently  stated  by  almost 
all  the  many  writers  who  have  undertaken  to  give  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  these  operations.  Some  make  the  firing  begin  as  early 
as  eight  in  the  morning ;  others  fix  the  moment  of  collision  at 
half-past  eleven  or  twelve.  In  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  pub- 
lished dispatch  the  hour  of  ten  is  named  ;  but  even  here  the  an- 
nouncement is  rather  conjectural  than  arbitrary,  the  phrase  em- 
ployed indicating  that  the  writer  had  not  noted  the  circumstance 
exactly.  One  tiling  alone  is  beyond  dispute — that  many  hours 
of  precious  daylight  escaped  ere  he.  to  whom  time  was  of  un- 


172  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xx. 

speakable  value,  moved  to  the  attack.  We  cannot  account  for 
this.  Napoleon  himself  has  left  the  statement  upon  record,  that 
considerations  of  prudence  alone  restrained  him; -that  he  was 
quiet  because  he  could  not  hope  to  manrcuvre  with  either  celerity 
or  effect  till  the  ground  beneath  the  horses'  feet  should  have  been 
hardened.  Others,  and  some  of  them  are  among  the  most  en- 
thusiastic of  his  admirers,  affirm  that  he  was  forced  to  defer  the 
commencement  of  operations  because  the  stock  of  ammunition 
present  with  the  army  would  not  suffice  for  more  than  eight 
hours  of  battle.  Be  this  however  as  it  may,  the  fact  is  as  re- 
markable as  it  is  well  established,  that  the  British  army  was  not 
molested  till  the  day  had  considerably  advanced,  and  that  time 
was  in  consequence  afforded  for  the  accomplishment  by  the 
Prussians  of  a  series  of  movements,  which  a  little  more  of  vigor 
and  forethought  on  the  part  of  their  adversaries  might  have  either 
frustrated  altogether  or  rendered  comparatively  useless. 

While  the  French  remained  thus  unaccountably  supine,  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  with  characteristic  activity,  was  providing 
against  every  possibly  emergency  that  might  occur.  He  was 
shaved  and  dressed  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  sat  down  by 
the  light  of  a  lamp  to  his  desk,  and  wrote  many  letters,  of  which 
three  have  been  given  to  the  public  in  Col.  Gurwood's  invaluable 
collection.  One  of  these — to  the  English  minister  at  Brussels — 
has  for  its  object  the  maintenance  of  quiet  in  that  city.  The 
writer  speaks  with  confidence  of  the  events  which  were  hurryiug 
forward,  and  assures  his  correspondent  that  "  the  Prussians  will 
be  ready  again  for  anything  in  the  morning."  "  Pray  keep  the 
English  quiet,"  .he  continues  :  "  let  them  all  prepare  to  move,  but 
neither  be  in  a  hurry  nor  a  fright,  as  all  will  yet  turn  out  well." 
Another,  addressed  to  the  Due  de  Berri,  gives  a  brief  but  clear 
account  of  Ihe  operations  of  the  16th,  and  explains  the  arrange- 
ments which  had  been  made  for  the  protection  of  the  Mons  road 
at  Hal.  At  the  same  time  the  Due  is  advised  to  remove  with 
his  suite  to  Antwerp,  and  to  carry  thither  also  the  King  of 
France,  though  only  as  a  measure  of  precaution.  "  I  hope,"  says 
the  Field  Marshal,  "  indeed  I  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that 
all  will  go  well ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  look  a  good  way  before  us 


CHAP,  xx.]  LAST  PREPARATIONS.  173 

and  to  provide  against  serious  losses,  should  any  accident  occur." 
And  last  of  all,  the  Governor  of  Antwerp  is  instructed  what  to 
do — that  he  is  to  consider  the  city  "  in  a  state  of  siege,  and  have 
his  means  of  inundating  the  surrounding  country  ready ;"  while 
at  the  same  time  he  gives  free  admission  to  the  King  of  Franco 
and  his  attendants,  as  well  as  to  any  British  subjects  who  in;iy 
desire  to  pass  through  Antwerp  on  their  way  to  England.  Nor 
was  it  thus  alone  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  devoted  the  first, 
hours  of  that  eventful  day  to  the  adjustment  of  matters  which 
bore  more  intimately  upon  the  arrangements  of  its  later  hours 
The  spare  ammunition,  which  had  been  parked  over  niglit  at 
Waterloo,  was  so  distributed  as  to  be  ready  for  carriage  to  all 
parts  at  a  moment's  notice.  Apartments  were  fitted  up  in  every 
house,  both  there  and  along  the  entire  rear  of  the  position,  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  wounded.  Nothing,  in  short,  was  neg- 
lected or  overlooked  which  could  in  any  respect  contribute  to  the 
security  of  the  country,  or  the  efficiency  of  the  force  which  de- 
fended it,  while  all  was  done  with  a  cheerfulness  and  good- 
humored  alacrity  which  seemed  to  foreboJe  the  happiest  results. 
Indeed  it  was  part  of  the  character  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
to  inspire  every  man  who  approached  him  with  absolute  con- 
fidence in  the  success  of  whatever  he  undertook,  and  so  remark- 
able an  instance  of  the  extent  to  which  the  feeling  was  carried 
occurred  this  day,  that  it  would  be  unjust  to  pass  it  by. 

Among  other  domestic  servants  who  had  attended  him  in  the 
Peninsula,  and  afterwards  followed  his  fortunes  to  London,  Paris, 
and  Vienna,  was  a  French  cook,  a  man  of  much  science  and  ex- 
cellent method  in  his  way.  This  artiste  always  contrived  to  get 
his  master's  dinner  ready  at  the  exact  time  when  it  was  wanted, 
and  on  the  18th  of  June  he  applied  himself,  as  usual,  to  his 
duties  in  the  kitchen  of  the  house  in  Waterloo,  where  the  head- 
quarters of  the  army  were  established.  Amid  the  thunder  of  the 
battle  he  never  intermitted  his  task ;  and  when  wounded  men  and 
fugitives  came  crowding  back,  and  a  thousand  voices  urged  him 
to  escape  while  he  could,  he  steadily  refused  either  to  budge  an 
inch  or  to  intermit  his  labors.  "  His  Grace  had  ordered  dinner, 
and  would  certainly  return  to  cat  it.  He  was  not  going  to  dis- 


.74  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  xx. 

appoint  so  generous  a  master  for  any  consideration  "whatever." 
And  his  Grace  did  come  back,  as  he  had  promised,  and  found  his 
dinner  not  less  recherche  than  usualj  though  the  state  of  his  own 
feelings,  victor  as  he  was,  could  hardly  permit  him  to  do  justice 
to  it. 

Meanwhile  the  storm  which  had  so  long  lowered  on  the  heights 
of  La  Belle  Alliance  began  to  break.  From  the  right  of  Prince 
Jerome's  division,  forming  part  of  Reille's  corps,  a  column  ad- 
vanced towards  the  south-western  boundary  of  the  wood  of 
Hougomont,  and  as  it  drew  near,  the  leading  companies  broke  off 
one  by  one,  and  spread  themselves  into  skirmishing  order.  They 
moved  on,  raising  from  time  to  time  one  of  those  discordant  yells 
which  French  troops  emit  as  they  are  rushing  to  the  attack ;  but 
the  space  which  divided  them  from  their  opponents  was  too  nar- 
row to  afford  leisure  for  much  threatening  or  needless  display. 
As  soon  as  they  arrived  within  range  of  musketry,  first  one,  then 
two  or  three,  and  immediately  afterwards  some  half-dozen  rifle- 
shots told  that  the  hedges  in  their  front  were  all  lined.  By  and 
by  they  in  their  turn  began  to  fire,  closing  all  the  while  upon  the 
thicket,  and  in  two  minutes  afterwards  an  incessant  rattle  of  small 
arms  indicated  that  the  battle  was  begun. 


CUAP.  xxi.J      ATTACK  AND  DEFENCE  OF  IIOUGOMONT.  175 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

Attack  and  Defence  of  Hougoumont. 

• 

Or  all  tbc  tasks  to  which  a  writer  can  apply  himself,  the  de- 
scription of  the  commencement  of  a  great  battle  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  hopeless.  When  the  affair  has  begun  in  earnest — when 
men's  minds  are  filled  with  the  mighty  work  before  them — it  is 
not  so  difficult  to  follow  the  movements  which  they  make,  and  to 
explain  and  in  some  sort  to  enter  into  the  feelings  with  which 
they  become  engrossed.  But  to  tell  how  they  feel  and  act  while 
as  yet  all  is  expectation  and  a  state  of  mental  excitement,  is  an 
undertaking  from  which  even  the  experienced  in  such  matters 
will  shrink.  For  though  it  may  read  well  that  men  boldly  and 
resolutely  met  their  foes,  and  gave  back  the  iron  hail  with  which 
they  were  greeted,  none  can  tell,  till  they  have  actually  filled  the 
position,  how  it  fares  either  with  the  assailants  or  their  enemies. 
There  may  be  no  especial  regard  for  life  or  limb.  A  thousand 
situations,  even  in  civil  life,  may  try  the  moral — aye,  the  physical — 
courage  quite  as  much.  But  the  opening  of  a  battle  stands  quite 
alone  among  the  states  of  being  in  which  rational  men  are  liable 
to  find  themselves ,'  and  to  speak  of  it  accurately,  after  the  occa- 
sion is  over,  seems  to* me  to  be  impossible ;  therefore  I  decline  to 
record  how  the  French  tirailleurs  on  this  day  went  forward  to 
their  work — or  how  the  skirmishers  who  lined  the  hedge  and 
outer  wood  of  Hougomont  faced  them,  further  than  by  stating 
that  on  both  sides  they  bore  themselves  nobly — the  one  pressing 
forward  through  the  open  fields,  now  firing  as  they  went,  now 
tuking  the  best  aim  which  their  situation  afforded — the  other 
kneeling  or  standing,  behind  bush  and  tree,  and  from  that  cover 
delivering  their  deliberate  shots.  But  not  very  long  was  the  ac- 
tion confined  to  them.  Upon  the  high  ground  which  overlooked 
Hougomont,  and  saw  beyond  the  extremity  of  its  inclosures, 


176  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxi. 

stood  Cleve's  foot-battery  of  the  German  Legion,  which  soon 
opened  its  fire  with  murderous  effect;  while  Major  Kuhlnian's 
German,  and  Capt.  Sandham's  British  horse-artillery,  which  were 
attached  to  Cooke's  division,  and  pointed  in  the  same  direction, 
instantly  followed  the  example,  making  every  round  tell.  They 
did  not,  however,  keep  the  game  long  in  their  own  hands.  The 
batteries  of  Ileille's  corps,  occupying  ground  as  high  as  theirs, 
replied  to  them  with  extreme  energy ;  and  shots  which  fell  upoiz 
the  distant  ear  at  first  one  by  one,  soon  mingled  in  one  continuous 
roar. 

The  French  are  good  skirmishers.  They  go  to  their  work  like 
men  who  understand  it.  and  never  permit  the  grass  to  grow  under 
their  feet.  They  were  up  to  the  hedge  in  a  moment,  and  by  and 
by,  in  spite  of  a  brave  resistance  from  the  Hanoverians  and  Nassau 
riflemen,  forced  their  way  through  it.  The  inclosure  on  Ihe  left 
of  the  wood  soon  became,  in  like  manner,  full  of  them  ;  and  being 
fed  continually  from  the  column  in  their  rear,  they  soon,  by  the 
mere  weight  of  numbers,  gained  ground.  Then  came  Bull's 
howitzers  into  play.  The  Duke,  who  saw  everything,  and  di- 
rected every  ^operation,  as  if  by  instinct,  gave  orders  for  these 
latter  to  join  in  the  fray  ;  and  such  a  shower  of  shells  came  pour- 
ing into  the  wood,  that  no  animal  courage  could  withstand  it. 
The  practice,  too,  was  beautiful.  Over  the  heads  of  the  defend- 
ers— within  a  couple  of  feet — every  shell  passed,  and  falling  right 
among  the  crowd  of  assailants,  it  scattered  death  and  dismay  in 
every  direction.  The  French  tirailleurs  could  not  sustain  this 
fire.  They  fell  back  from  the  fields  in  front  of  the  great  orchard, 
to  which  they  had  made  their  way  in  countless  numbers ,  the  light 
companies  of  the  1st  brigade  of  Guards  pressing  them  severely, 
while  those  of  the  2nd  brigade,  advancing  from  the  lane  and 
kitchen-garden  on  the  right  of  the  chateau,  rushed  like  fox-hounds 
into  the  wood.  Never,  perhaps,  was  skirmish,  if  such  it  deserve 
to  be  called,  conducted  at  an  interval  so  brief.  The  gallant  House- 
hold troops  did  not,  perhaps,  understand  so  well  as  the  Rifle-Bri- 
gade and  the  regiments  of  the  Light  Division  the  art  of  fighting 
in  inclosed  spaces,  but  what  they  might  lack  in  skill  they  more 
than  made  up  by  their  daring — for  the  shots  which  they  exchanged 


CHAP,  xxi.j      ATTACK  AND  DEFENCE  OP  HOUGOMONT.  177 

wtre  muzzle  to  muzzle,  and  they  very  soon  cleared  the  wood  of 
the  tirailleurs  before  whom  Hanoverians  and  Nassauers  had  given 
ground. 

Meanwhile  the  fire  of  cannon  gradually  extended  itself  from 
one  extremity  of  the  hostile  lines  to  another.  The  British,  see- 
ing their  enemies  on  the  slope  of  the  opposite  ridge,  played  into 
their  columns  with  murderous  effect.  The  French,  having  noth- 
ing but  a  line  of  skirmishers  to  aim  at,  directed  their  fire  princi- 
pally against  the  Allied  batteries.  Terrific  was  the  noise,  awful 
from  time  to  time  the  effect  of  exploding  shells  and  round-shot 
telling ;  but  the  slaughter  in  the  French  ranks  was  double  that 
to  which  the  Anglo-Belgians  were  exposed  ;  for  not  a  soldier 
cither  of  infantry' or  of  cavalry,  yet  showed  himself  unnecessarily 
beyond  the  crest  of  the  English  position.  By  ricochet  it  is  in- 
deed true  that  many  casualties  occurred,  but  the  effect  of  the  di- 
rect fire  was  all  in  the  enemy's  ranks,  who  soon  began  to  exhibit 
symptoms  of  impatience  under  it.  It  was  at  this  moment  that 
from  the  extreme  right  of  the  French  line  a  column  of  cavalry 
moved  out,  threatening  that  point  in  the  Allied  position  where 
Best's  Hanoverian  infantry  brigade  and  Von  Rottenberg's  Hano- 
verian foot-artillery  were  stationed.  The  ground  in  that  direction 
is  of  a  peculiar  formation,  seeming  to  such  as  look  at  it  from  afar 
to  be  scarped  ;  and  the  purpose  of  this  movement  evidently  was 
to  ascertain  whether,  during  the  night,  Wellington  had  intrenched 
himself.  But  when  Best,  anticipating  an  attack,  drew  up,  in 
squares,  on  the  brow  of  the  height,  the  enemy  seemed  to  be  sat- 
isfied. They  immediately  fell  back  again,  and  the  cannonade  on 
both  sides  went  on. 

In  the  meanwhile  Prince  Jerome  had  reinforced  his  skirmish- 
ers, and  sent  them  with  strong  columns  of  support  against  the 
English  right  of  the  wood  of  Hougomout.  At  the  same  moment 
Foy  led  the  whole  of  his  division  against  its  front.  Both  bodies 
were  at  once  assailed  by  such  a  storm  pf  shot  from  the  British 
artillery,  that  they  staggered  and  reeled ;  indeed,  nothing  except 
the  concentrated  and  superior  fire  which  the  French  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  Allied  batteries  could  have  saved  them  from  de- 
struction. Under  cover  of  this,  however,  the  enemy  pressed  on  ; 

8* 


178  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxi. 

and,  in  spite  of  a  desperate  resistance,  numbers  so  far  prevailed, 
that  the  light  companies  of  the  Guards  were  forced  to  give  ground, 
though  they  fought  from  tree  to  tree  with  an  obstinate  resistance, 
which  cost  them  many  lives.  At  last  the  men  were  fairly  ordered 
to  withdraw — those  of  the  1  st  brigade  into  the  orchard  on  the  left 
of  the  house — those  of  the  2nd,  partly  into  the  lane  which  skirts 
the  right,  partly  behind  a  haystack  which  stood  at  one  of  the  an- 
gles of  the  building,  and  faced  the  wood.  As  a  matter  of  course 
the  assailants  grew  more  and  more  bold.  They  pushed  through 
the  wood,  skirted  it  on  the  right  and  left,  and  found  themselves 
in  front  of  a  hedge  which  appeared  to  them  to  constitute  the  only 
fence  by  which  the  buildings  were  shut  in.  They  rushed  at  it 
gallantly,  and  were  gallantly  received.  Behind  that  hedge,  and 
about  thirty  yards  removed  from  it,  runs  the  orchard-wall,  which 
again  is  flanked  on  the  right  by  the  terraces  and  low  brick  fences 
of  the  garden ;  and  the  whole  having  been  carefully  loop-holed, 
such  a  storm  of  fire  opened  upon  the  French  troops  as  they  had 
not  counted  upon,  and  which  they  found  themselves  unable  to 
face.  Numbers  fell,  dead  or  wounded,  while  the  remainder,  re- 
coiling, sought  out  such  shelter  as  trees  and  ditches  could  afford ; 
and  for  some  time  endeavored  to  maintain  from  thence  a  combat 
which  was  entirely  against  them. 

It  was  natural  that  Jerome,  seeing  the  first  successes  of  his 
skirmishers,  and  not  knowing  the  nature  of  the  obstacles  which 
here  arrested  their  progress,  should  endeavor  to  feed  them  largely, 
llougomont  was  felt  to  be  a  point  of  vital  importance,  and  Na- 
poleon calculated  that  could  he  but  make  himself  master  of  that, 
he  might  suspend  all  future  operations  in  this  quarter,  and  turn 
his  undivided  strength  against  the  Allied  left.  Wherefore  clouds 
of  men  rushed  down  to  sustain  the  advance,  which  having  won  the 
wood,  appeared  to  be  on  the  eve  of  winning  the  chateau  likewise ; 
so  that  the  whole  face  of  the  slope  and  the  valley  and  ascent  be- 
yond it  were  crowded.  No  arrangement  could  have  been  more 
satisfactory  to  Major  Bull  and  his  gallant  companions ;  they  lit- 
erally swept  the  field  with  their  shot,  and  though  they  could  not 
prevent  the  influx  of  multitudes  into  the  wood,  they  left  traces  ot 
their  practice  in  crowds  of  dead  and  dying,  who  in  five  minutes 


.  xxi.)    ATTACK  AND  DEFENCE  OP  HOUGOMONT.  179 

strewed  the  ground.  But  the  numbers  who  gained  the  wood  gave, 
as  was  natural,  fresh  confidence  to  their  comrades.  The  latter, 
after  stealing  by  banks  and  hollow  ways,  round  this  side  and  that 
of  all  the  detached  buildings,  gradually  surrounded  the  pile,  and 
fairly  drove  out  of  the  orchard  and  detached  gardens  all  who  sur- 
vived to  retreat  inside  the  court-yard.  The  haystack  behind 
which  some  of  the  Coldstream  light-troops  had  taken  shelter, 
caught  fire ;  they  were  forced,  in  consequence,  to  give  up  their 
vantage  ground,  and  though  the  gate  by  which  they  entered  the 
premises  was  immediately  blocked  with  every  heavy  article  on 
which  they  could  lay  their  hands,  time  enough  to  barricade  it 
effectually  was  not  afforded.  Dense  masses  of  the  assailants 
rushed  against  it,  and  shouted  as  it  flew  open ;  and  then  began 
such  a  struggle  as  does  not  often  occur  in  modern  warfare.  Not 
a  foot  would  the  defenders  yield — not  for  a  moment  or  two  would 
the  assailing  party  withdraw.  At  last  the  bayonets  of  the  Guards 
carried  all  before  them ;  and  five  individuals,  Lieut.-Col.  now 
Lieut.  Gen.  Macdonnell,  Capt.  now  Lieut.  Gen.  Wyndham,  En- 
sign now  Lieut.  Col.  Gooch,  Ensign  Hervey,  and  Serg.  Graham, 
by  sheer  dint  of  personal  strength  and  extraordinary  bravery  and 
perseverance,  succeeded  in  closing  the  gate,  and  shutting  the  en- 
emy out. 

Few  prisoners  were  taken  on  this  occasion ;  none,  indeed,  ex- 
cept a  few  wounded  and  disabled  Frenchmen.  They  who  had 
forced  their  way  within  the  barricade  died  almost  to  a  man  ;  and 
a  great  majority  of  their  comrades  who  pressed  on  eager  to  follow 
them  were  cut  off  in  like  manner  by  the  furious  musketry  fire  that 
fell  upon  them ;  the  residue  broke  and  dispersed,  some  passing  to 
the  left,  others  sweeping  back  across  the  Nivelles  road ;  but  all 
presently  gathering  again  under  cover  of  some  brushwood,  and  on 
patches  of  broken  ground.  They  were  pounded  and  pelted  by 
every  gun  which  the  Allies  could  bring  to  bear  upon  them ;  but 
nothing  stopped  them ;  for  their  own  artillery  gave  them  most 
efficient  aid,  and  under  cover  of  their  fire  a  body,  bolder  than  the 
rest,  crept  on  amid  the  concealment  which  some  tall  rye  afforded, 
till  they  got  within  pistol-shot  of  Col.  Smith's  battery.  Now  ar- 
tillery, however  effective  it  may  be  at  a  distance,  has  no  chance 


180  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxi. 

with  infantry  in  a  close  fight.  Men  and  horses  dropped  beneath 
the  fire  of  these  skirmishers  so  fast,  that  Smith  was  obliged  to 
withdraw  his  guns  into  a  hollow  beyond,  and  the  consequences 
might  have  been  even  more  serious  had  not  timely  aid  been  af- 
forded. Lieut.  Col.  Woodford  of  the  Coldstreani  Guards  seeing 
how  the  case  stood,  advanced  with  four  companies  of  his  regiment 
to  meet  the  intruders.  The  latter  fell  back  towards  the  farm- 
yard, behind  the  wall  of  which  they  collected  round'  a  strong  rein- 
forcement which  was  in  their  rear,  but  they  did  not  long  remain 
there.  Woodford  charged  them  in  line,  and  they  fled  in  great 
confusion. 

Woodford,  who  acted  under  orders,  did  not  attempt  to  push 
his  success  too  far ;  on  the  contrary,  he  entered  with  his  people 
into  the  farm-yard  through  a  side-door  which  opened  to  the  lane, 
and  forthwith  lent  his  aid,  which  did  not  come  undesired,  to 
maintain  the  pile,  which  continued  to  be  the  object  of  a  fierce  at- 
tack. For  by  this  time  all  the  French  supports,  which  had  been 
following  their  leaders  in  the  fray,  were  in  the  wood  and  round 
about  the  mansion  on  every  side.  They  were  in  increased  num- 
bers at  the  back-gate,  battering  and  pushing  against  the  stout  de- 
fences, which  Macdonnell  and  his  gallant  followers  had  piled  up 
to  secure  it :  and  the  fire  which  they  kept  up  rendered  it  perilous 
in  the  extreme  for  any  man  to  show  his  head  above  the  wall. 
Nevertheless,  above  the  wall  many  heads  were  shown ;  for  not 
only  was  it  loop-holed  beneath,  but,  by  means  of  benches,  tables, 
chairs,  everything  which  they  could  apply,  the  garrison  had 
formed  a  banquet  all  around  the  enceinte,  on  which  they  stood, 
and  from  which  they  delivered  their  fire  with  murderous  effect. 
It  was  at  this  moment  that  one  of  the  enemy's  shells,  which 
ceased  not  to  fall  about  them  like  hail-drops  in  a  storm,  set  fire 
to  a  part  of  the  mansion.  The  flames  burst  forth  in  terrific  maj- 
esty ;  yet  they  whose  duty  it  was  to  hold  the  post  paid  no  regard 
to  them,  except  that  they  evacuated  room  after  room  as  one  by 
one  they  became  ignited.  At  this  moment  Serg.  Graham,  who 
stood  upon  the  banquet,  and  bore  himself  with  unrivalled  bravery, 
begged  permission  of  Col.  Macdonnell  to  retire  for  a  moment. 
Col.  Macdonnell,  who  knew  ^he  nature  of  the  man.  merely  said. 


«HAP.  xxi.]     ATTACK  AND  DEFENCE  OP  HOUGOMONT.  181 

"  By  all  means,  Graham ;  but  I  wonder  you  should  ask  leave 
now.*1  "  I  would  not,  Sir,"  was  the  answer ;  "  only  my  brother 
is  wounded,  and  he  is  in  that  outbuilding  there,  which  has  just 
caught  fire.  Give  me  leave  to  carry  him  out ;  I  will  be  back  in 
a  moment.'1  The  leave  was  granted,  of  course,  with  eagerness, 
and  Graham,  laying  down  his  musket,  ran  off,  lifted  his  brother 
in  his  arms,  and  placed  him  in  a  ditch.  He  was  back  at  his  post 
before  his  absence  could  well  have  been  noticed,  and  both  he  and 
the  wounded  man  survived  to  thank  their  commanding  officer, 
and  to  earn,  as  they  equally  deserved,  the  respect  and  admiration 
of  all  classes  of  their  brother-soldiers. 

Scarcely  was  this  feat  of  nobleness  performed,  when  the  enemy, 
having  collected  in  denser  masses,  made  a  new  rush  against  the 
gate.  They  failed  in  bursting  it  open ;  but  presently  upon  the 
top  of  the  wall  appeared  a  French  grenadier,  who  had  led  the 
way  for  the  purpose  of  removing  the  defences  from  the  interior, 
and  whose  bold  bearing  showed  that  he  would  'not  be  deterred 
by  a  trifle.  It  happened  that  Serg.  Graham  had  given  his  musket 
to  Capt.  Wyndham,  and  was  in  the  act  of  piling  some  heavy  sub- 
stance against  the  gate.  "  Do  you  see  that  fellow,  Graham  ?" 
cried  the  Captain.  "  Yes.  Sir,"  was  the  laconic  answer ;  where- 
upon a  log  of  wood  which  he  carried  was  dropped,  and  resuming 
his  weapon,  he  took  aim  at  the  grenadier  arid  shot  him  dead. 
None  dared  to  follow  where  this  brave  man  died,  and  the  en 
cmy  forthwith  abandoned  their  attempt  on  the  gate,  and  turned 
elsewhere. 

Away  they  now  rushed  along  the  inner  edge  of  the  orchard. 
There  they  found  a  gap  communicating  from  the  wood  with  the 
interior  of  the  latter  inclosure,  and  they  sprang  through  it  in 
great  numbers,  confident  that  now  they  should  have  the  edifice 
in  reverse.  But  Lord  Saltoun  with  his  gallant  band  was  here, 
lie  did  not  stop  to  skirmish — he  formed  his  men  in  line,  and 
with  a  shout,  rushed  upon  the  head  of  the  column.  A  brief  but 
desperate  struggle  ensued,  in  which  the  Guards  abated  nothing 
of  their  accustomed  daring,  and  backwards  by  sheer  force  the  in- 
truders were  borne,  leaving  many  behind  who  there  struck  their 
last  blow  and  fired  their  last  slut.  Nevertheless  the  weight  of 


182  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  %OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxi. 

numbers  was  overpowering.  From  other  quarters  of  the  wood 
crowds  of  men  broke  in.  Lord  Saltoun  fought  as  became*  the 
descendant  of  his  race,  disputing  every  tree,  but  was  compelled 
to  give  ground  till  in  a  hollow  way,  rearward  of  the  inclosure,  he 
found  some  cover.  There  he  stoutly  maintained  himself;  and  it 
is  said  that  he  would  have  been  succored  by  the  light  troops  of 
Alten's  division,  had  not  the  Prince  of  Orange  interposed  in  a 
very  characteristic  manner  to  prevent  it.  "  Don't  stir,"  was  his 
exclamation ;  "  depend  upon  it  that  the  Duke  has  seen  that  more, 
and  will  take  steps  to  counteract  it."  And  his  Royal  Highness 
was  right.  Just  as  he  spoke,  two  companies  of  the  3rd  Guards 
were  seen  to  descend  the  brow  of  the  hill,  and  to  advance  along 
the  same  hedge  by  which  the  enemy  were  approaching,  exactly  in 
front  of  them.  Saltoun  saw  and  felt  the  advance  of  his  friends. 
His  retreat  had  drawn  the  enemy  into  such  a  position  that  they 
were  terribly  galled  by  a  flank-fire  from  the  garden-wall ;  and 
now  he  sprang  up,  and  shouted  to  his  men  to  follow.  They  were 
over  the  inner  side  of  the  ditch  in  a  moment,  and  the  relieving 
companies  pushing  forward  at  the  same  time,  the  French  were 
driven  back  at  a  pace  much  more  rapid  than  that  which  had  car- 
ried them  forward  in  their  tide  of  success.  Lord  Saltoun's  loss 
was  severe ;  indeed,  more  men  fell  during  this  brief  struggle  in 
the  orchard  than  in  the  defence  of  the  buildings,  though  protracted 
for  several  hours ;  but  his  triumph  was  complete.  He  cleared  the 
orchard,  re-occupied  its  front  hedge,  and  effectually  secured  the 
important  post  from  risk  on  that  side ;  and  as  his  comrades  were 
equally  successful,  chasing  the  enemy  into  the  hollow  ground  from 
which  they  had  debouched,  he  felt,  as  soon  as  they  had  joined 
themselves  to  his  party  within  the  fence,  that  for  the  present  all 
was  safe.  And  he  was  right. 


CHAP.  xxn.J     ADVANCE  OF  FRENCH  CENTRE  AND  LEFT.          183 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

Advance  of  the  French  Centre  and  Left — Flight  of  Bylandt's  Belgian 
Brigade. 

WHILE  the  fields,  woods,  orchard,  and  inclosures  of  Hougo- 
mont  continued  thus  to  be  the  sceue  of  a  close  and  desperate  strife, 
the  artillery  on  both  sides  thundered  along  the  whole  extent  of 
each  line,  and  caused  many  casualties.  Under  cover  of  this  can- 
nonade Ney  formed  his  columns  of  attack  against  the  left  and  cen  • 
tre  of  the  British  position,  and  stood  prepared  to  send  them  on 
whenever  explicit  directions  should  be  given.  The  force  thus 
concentrated  comprised  the  whole  of  D'Erlon's  corps  d'armee,  in- 
fantry and  cavalry,  as  well  as  Roussel's  cuirassiers,  forming  one 
division  of  Kellermann's  horse,  and  was  to  be  supported  by  the 
fire  of  not  fewer  than  72  pieces,  which  ranged  themselves  along 
the  brow  of  the  height.  It  is  not  very  easy  to  say,  within  a  few 
hundreds,  of  how  many  men  this  dense  mass  consisted.  It  could 
not  fall  short  of  16,000— probably  it  reached  20,000  at  the  least ; 
but,  however  this  may  be,  the  whole  brow  of  the  opposite  ridge 
swarming  with  soldiers,  presented  to  the  troops  which  occupied 
the  rising  ground  in  advance  of  La  Haye  Saintc  a  grand  and  by 
no  means  an  agreeable  spectacle.  Men  ceased  to  talk  except  in 
monosyllables.  The  skirmishers  rose  from  the  ground,  knelt  on 
one  knee,  and  threw  their  firelocks  into  a  manageable  position. 
The  regiments  which  lay  in  columns  of  quarter  distance  under  the 
reverse  descent,  stood  to  their  arms  and  prepared  to  deploy. 
General  and  staff  officers  reined  up  their  horses  on  the  braw,  and 
bent  their  telescopes  in  one  direction,  while  the  Duke  himself 
took  up  a  position  close  to  the  Charleroi  road,  whence  the  entire 
field  spread  itself  out  before  him.  As  to  the  artillery,  portions 
of  it  were  massed  and  arranged  so  as  to  enfilade  the  French  col- 
umns as  soon  as  they  should  begin  to  move  ;  while  the  remainder 


tSl  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxn. 

either  answered  the  enemy's  fire,  or  continued  to  plunge  shot  and 
shell  into  every  body  of  troops  that  presented  a  tolerable  mark, 

It  was  noticed  on  the  English  side  that,  though  the  enemy 
seemed  to  have  completed  their  formations,  a  pause  of  some  con- 
tinuance ensued.  The  fire  of  cannon  did  not  even  slacken,  nei- 
ther were  horse  or  foot  put  in  motion,  but  mounted  officers  rode 
briskly  towards  the  elevated  land  above  La  Belle  Alliance,  and 
there  stood  in  a  group.  It  afterwards  came  out,  that  just  as  he 
was  about  to  order  the  advance  of  the  column,  some  objects  caught 
Napoleon's  eye  at  a  great  distance  on  his  right,  which  troubled 
him.  He  saw,  or  fancied  that  <Iie  saw,  in  the  direction  of  St.  Lam- 
"bcrt  troops  upon  the  march.  Soult,  who  stood  beside  him,  was 
appealed  to,  and  pronounced  the  Emperor  to  be  right.  Others 
looked,  and  having  a  less  perfect  vision,  declared  that  there  were 
no  troops  ;  while  a  third  party  exclaimed  that,  even  supposing  the 
Emperor's  opinion  to  be  correct,  troops  in  that  direction  were 
much  more  likely  to  belong  to  Grouchy  than  to  Bliicher.  Napo- 
leon assented  to  this  view  of  the  subject,  but  ceased  not  to  mani- 
fest symptoms  of  uneasiness.  Measures  must  be  taken  to  find 
out  the  truth :  first,  whether  there  were  indeed  troops  on  the 
heights  of  St.  .Lambert ;  and  next,  if  there  were,  to  ascertain  to 
which  side  they  belonged.  Accordingly,  Gen.  Domont  was  or- 
dered to  proceed  at  the  head  of  his  division  of  cavalry  towards  thu 
right,  to  form  the  main  body  of  his  own  and  the  whole  of  Luber- 
vie's  en  potence  behind  the  wood  of  Paris,  and  then  to  push  for- 
ward with  a  strong  reconnoitring  party  till  he  should  have  satis- 
fied himself  as  to  what  was  in  his  front.  If  Grouchy  were  near, 
Doraont  was  to  join  him,  and  point  out  the  nearest  road  by  which 
the  English  left  might  be  turned ;  should  the  Prussians  prove  to 
have  gained  the  start,  he  was  to  inform  the  Emperor  of  the  cir- 
cumstance, and  impede  the  further  advance  of  the  enemy  by  every 
means  "in  his  power. 

The  circumstances  here  described  befell  about  one  o'clock  in 
the  day.  Shortly  after  Domont  had  set  off  to  execute  his  orders, 
a  Prussian  hussar,  who  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  French  pa- 
trolling party,  was  brought  before  the  Emperor.  He  proved  to 
be  the  bearer  of  a  letter  from  Biilow  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 


CHAP,  xxii.]     ADVANCE  OP  FRENCH  CENTRE  AND  LEFT.          185 

acquainting  the  Duke  of  the  arrival  of  the  writer  at  St.  Lambert. 
The  Prussian  hussar  was  of  course  examined,  and  stated  that  the 
troops  which  Napoleon  had  seen  belonged  to  Billow's  advanced 
guard  ;  that  he  himself  was  a  member  of  Billow's  corps,  and  had 
quitted  Wavre  early  in  the  morning ;  that  Biilow  had  not  been 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Ligny ;  and  that  the  whole  Prussian 
army  had  spent  the  night  in  the  vicinity  of  Wavre,  without  having 
seen,  far  less  suffered  annoyance  from  an  enemy.  The  Prussian 
hussar  was  not  more  accurate  in  his  information  than  might  have 
been  expected  from  one  in  his  humble  position,  but  the  tidings 
which  he  communicated  to  Napoleon  were  alarming,  though  they 
were  scarcely  so  serious  as  the  truth  would  have  warranted  :  for 
the  troops  seen  from  La  Belle  Alliance  proved  to  be,  not  the  ad- 
vanced guard,  but  the  head  of  Billow's  main  body.  The  advanced 
guard  was  already  through  the  defiles,  and  lying  in  the  wood  of 
Paris  till  its  support  should  come  up,  while  the  main  body  had 
just  begun  that  difficult  and  tedious"  progress,  which,  in  spite  of 
the  best  exertions  of  man  and  beast,  was  not  completed  till  an 
hour  before  dark. 

Before  the  Prussian  hussar  came  in,  Soult,  as  Major-General, 
had  written  a  letter  to  Grouchy  ;  and  the  aide-de-camp  who  was  to 
carry  it  was  mounted  and  on  the  eve  of  starting.  The  messenger 
was  detained  while  the  Major-General  added  a  postscript  to  his 
dispatch.  The  whole  ran  thus  : — 

"  Field  of  Battle  at  Waterloo,  18th,  1  o'clock  p.  M. 
"  MONSIEUR  I.E  MARECIIA;., 

"  You  wrote  this  morning  at  two  o'clock  informing  the  Emperor  that  you 
were  about  to  march  upon  Sart  Walhain,  whence  you  intended  to  proceed 
cither  to  Corbraux  or  to  Wavre.  This  movement  is  agreeable  to  the  disposi- 
tions with  which  you  have  been  made  acquainted.  Nevertheless,  the  Emperor 
commands  me  to  desire  that  you  would  manoeuvre  constantly  and  steadily  to- 
wards us.  You  can  find  no  difficulty  in  ascertaining  where  we  are,  and  in 
so  taking  up  our  communications  that  you  may  be  at  hand  to  fall  upon  any 
portion  of  the  enemy's  troops  which  may  endeavor  to  disturb  our  right,  or  to 
crush  it.  At  this  moment  we  are  engaged  along  the  line  of  Waterloo.  The 
centre  of  the  English  army  is  at  Mont  St.  Jean ;  therefore  manoeuvre  to  join 
our  right.  LE  Due  DE  DALMATIK. 

"  P.  S.  An  intercepted  letter  makes  known  that  Gen.  Bulow  ia  preparing 


186  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxir. 

to  attack  our  flank.  We  think  that  \ve  can  perceive  his  corps  on  the  heights 
of  St.  Lambert.  Wherefore  do  not  lose  a  moment  in  approaching  and  joining 
us,  and  in  crushing  Biilow,  whom  you  may  catch  en  flagrant  dclit." 

Had  this  letter,  which  shows  how  little  Napoleon  was  beginning 
to  be  at  his  ease,  reached  the  hand  for  which  it'  was  intended  in 
good  time,  there  is  no  telling  to  what  the  results  of  an  obedience 
to  Soult's  orders  might  have  led.  A  series  of  blunders,  however 
— for  the  first  and  gravest  of  which  Napoleon  was  himself  to 
blame — rendered  that  impossible.  Grouchy  was  far  distant  from 
the  road  which,  in  order  to  serve  his  master's  purposes,  he  ought 
to  have  followed.  Not  even  then,  when  the  battle  of  Waterloo 
was  begun,  had  he  fairly  struck  into  his  proper  line  of  march  ; 
and  several  hours  elapsed  ere  the  head  of  his  column  touched  the 
rear  of  the  enemy.  Moreover,  the  whole  face  of  the  country  be- 
tween him  and  the  main  army  was  so  covered  with  Prussian  pa- 
trols, that  the  messenger,  who  strove  to  pass  from  the  one  to  the 
other,  found  it  necessary  to  dodge  and  turn  like  a  hare  in  its 
flight.  Grouchy  did  not  receive  the  Major-General's  dispatch  till 
seven  o'clock  in  the  evening — and  was,  when  he  read  it,  many 
hours'  march  from  the  scene  of  action.  Besides,  it  was  then  too 
late.  Napoleon  had  hazarded  his  last  attack — failed  in  it,  and 
felt  the  Prussians  on  his  back.  Grouchy,  therefore,  deserves  to 
be  accounted  unfortunate,  rather  than  blameworthy,  in  not  suc- 
coring his  master  in  his  hour  of  need :  indeed,  if  he  erred  at  all, 
it  was  at  the  outset,  when  his  error  lay  in  adopting  Napoleon's 
views  regarding  the  line  of  Blucher's  retreat,  and  adhering  to 
them ;  whereas  it  was  physically  impossible  for  him,  after  the 
above  letter  was  received,  to  attend  to  it.  Moreover,  as  has  al- 
ready been  shown,  no  effort  on  his  part  could  have  saved  the 
French  army  from  defeat,  however  the  results  of  the  disaster 
might  have  been  modified.  And  failure,  either  at  Ligny  or 
Waterloo,  must  have  proved  fatal  to  Napoleon,  round  whom  on 
every  side  numbers  were  accumulating,  against  which  no  efforts  of 
human  genius — no  display  of  human  courage — could  bear  up. 

The  aide-de-camp  struck  spurs  into  his  horse  and  galloped  off; 
whereupon  Napoleon  surveyed  once  more  the  field  of  battle,  and 
was  about  to  give  the  signal,  which  D'Erlon's  corps  awaited  with 


L-HAP.  xxii.]    ADVANCE  OF  FRENCH  CENTRE  AND  LEFff.          187 

impatience — when  fresh  tidings  arrived.  A  messenger  from  Do- 
mont  reported  that  his  patrols  had  fallen  in  with  some  of  the  en- 
emy's detachments  in  the  direction  of  St.  Lambert,  and  that  he 
was  feeling  everywhere  for  Marshal  Grouchy,  but  could  not  dis- 
cover him.  It  is  easy  to  criticise  the  dispositions  of  military 
commanders,  after  the  occasion  has  passed  by  which  called  for 
them,  and  the  operations  of  which  we  write  are  ended  ;  but  surely 
there  cannot  be  two  opinions  in  regard  to  the  course  which,  under 
such  circumstances,  it  behooved  Napoleon  to  follow.  It  was  .clear, 
that  whether  he  came  in  force,  or  only  by  detachments,  Bulow 
had  got  the  start  of  Grouchy  ;  and  that  to  stop  him  altogether, 
or  at  the  least  so  to  impede  his  further  progress  as  that  Grouchy 
might  be  able  to  overtake  and  fall  upon  him  amid  the  defiles,  was 
a  measure  of  vital  importance  to  the  security  of  the  grand  army. 
Moreover,  the  means  of  doing  so  were  obvious  and  close  at  hand. 
Billow  could  not  approach  the  French  rear  without  passing  through 
the  wood  of  Paris.  A  few  brigades  of  infantry,  judiciously  posted, 
with  abattis  thrown  across  the  rides  and  drives  that  intersect  that 
wood,  might  have  kept  ten  times  their  number  at  bay  for  twelve 
hours  ;  while  the  cavalry,  which  now  stood  uselessly  fronting  the 
thicket,  ought  to  have  watched  its  extreme  debouches,  and  been 
ready  to  fall  upon  whatever  corps  might  make  their  appearance, 
ere  they  should  find  time  to  form.  Napoleon,  however,  gave  no 
instructions  to  this  effect,  neither  did  Domont  apply  for  them ; 
and  so  upon  the  right  of  his  line  the  French  Emperor  played  all 
day  with  danger  which  he  felt  to  be  imminent ;  and  met  it  at  last, 
when  too  late,  by  detaching  from  a  force  which  had  proved  in- 
competent to  contend,  in  its  integrity,  with  the  army  that  was  op- 
posed to  it. 

Having  received  the  communication  made  by  Domont's  orderly, 
and  passed  some  trivial  remarks  to  those  about  him,  Napoleon 
desired  that  his  grand  attack  should  be  delivered.  Ney,  followed 
by  his  staff,  rode  off  at  a  gallop  towards  the  point  where  the  heads 
of  his  columns  had  halted  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  aspect  of 
affairs  underwent  a  change. 

The  French  accounts  of  the  campaign  of  Waterloo  vary  so  much 
among  themselves,  that  it  is  impossible  to  gather  from  them,  either 


188  «  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxu. 

in  detail  or  in  the  aggregate,  anything  like  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  The  designs  of  the  Emperor,  especially,  and  his  plan 
of  battle  on  the  18th,  ar3  differently  stated  by  almost  every 
French  writer  who  has  touched  upon  them.  Some  say,  for  ex- 
ample, that  the  struggle  around  Hougomont,  with  which  the  op- 
erations of  the  day  began,  was  a  mistake — that  the  Emperor  did 
not  desire  to  make  any  impression  on  the  English  right,  but  in- 
tended merely  to  draw  attention  thither,  while  he  fell  heavily 
upon  the  left.  Others,  admitting  that  he  was  over-persuaded  into 
the  rush  upon  Hougomont,  still  assure  us  that  of  his  own  gigan- 
tic purpose  he  never  lost  sight.  His  object,  according  to  their 
showing,  was  to  break  the  Allied  centre,  and  to  gain  possession 
of  the  buildings  called  La  Ferme  de  Mont  St.  Jean,  or  possibly 
of  the  village  itself,  which,  commanding  the  point  of  junction  of 
the  Iwo  chaussecs,  would  have  enabled  him  to  interpose  between 
the  English  and  the  nearest  way  to  Brussels.  There  is  no  just 
cause  for  this  controversy.  The  attack  upon  Hougomont  failed. 
but  does  not  therefore  deserve  to  be  described  as  a  false  move- 
ment. On  the  contrary,  the  end  was  of  sufficient  importance 
to  justify  the  means.  To  be  sure,  the  system  on  which  Napoleon 
acted  throughout  the  day,  of  delivering  his  attacks  one  by  one. 
cannot  well  be  defended.  He  committed  an  error  in  suspending 
his  movement  against  the  centre,  till  the  attempt  to  damage  the 
English  right  had  failed  ;  and  he  suffered  for  it.  But  he  suffered 
much  more  in  consequence  of  the  rash  manner  in  which,  uniting 
cavalry  with  infantry  in  his  main  attack,  he  hurried  the  former 
into  action.  The  blunder  may,  however,  be  in  some  sort  ac- 
counted for.  and  probably  originated  thus. 

"While  the  close  fighting  about  Hougomont  went  on,  the 
enemy  kept  up  from  the  whole  front  of  their  position  a  heavy  fire 
of  cannon  upon  the  Allied  line.  The  brigades  which  the  Duke 
had  found  it  necessary  to  form  on  the  exterior  slope  of  the  ridge 
suffered  severely ;  and  about  one  o'clock  in  the  day,  or  a  little 
later,  he  caused  all  on  the  right  of  the  Charleroi  road  to  fall  back, 
and  seek  shelter  under  the  ridge,  on  the  interior  slope.  It  hap- 
pened that  this  change  of  position  among  the  Allies  took  place 
just  as  final  orders  had  been  issued  for  the  advance  of  Ney's 


CHAP,  xxn.]    ADVANCE  OF  FRENCH  CENTRE  AND  LEFT.          189 

columns, — and  Ney,  or  Napoleon,  or  both,  assuming  that  it  was 
a  movement  in  retreat,  hastened  to  take  advantage  of  it.  •  Ac- 
cordingly, while  D'Erlon's  infantry  advanced  in  four  columns 
along  the  road,  and  on  both  sides  of  it,  a  large  body  of  cuirassiers, 
which  ought  to  have  covered  the  left,  took  the  'lead,  and  dashing 
forward  as  if  anxious  to  overtake  the  fugitives,  and  hinder  them 
from  rallying,  came  in  contact  with  troops  not  yet  shaken,  and 
were  sacrificed.  But  it  will  be  best  to  describe  events  as  they 
befell. 

It  might  be  about  two  o'clock,  when  the  heads  of  the 
masses,  which  had  hung  for  awhile  like  thunder-clouds  on  the 
brow  of  the  French  heights,  began  to  descend.  They  came  on 
with  loud  cries  of  "  Vive  1'Einpereur  F  in  gallant  array,  and  at  a 
quick  step,  receiving,  but  as  it  seemed  in  no  wise  regarding,  a 
murderous  fire  from  the  Allied  artillery.  As  soon  as  their  rear- 
most companies  dipped  over  the  ridge,  the  French  batteries 
opened,  and  such  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell  ploughed  up  the 
earth  along  the  heights  of  Mont  St.  Jean  as  had  never  before 
been  witnessed.  The  first  line  of  the  British  infantry  halted  on 
the  right :  the  second,  having  been  withdrawn,  as  just  described, 
did  not  suffer  so  much.  On  the  left,  where  Picton's  division,  in- 
cluding Uylandt's  Dutch-Belgians  and  Best's  Hanoverians,  stood, 
the  slaughter  was  very  great ;  and  if  these  raw  foreign  troops 
shook  under  this  iron  hail,  let  not  soldiers  more  accustomed  to 
war  blame  them  too  severely.  Nevertheless,  even  Bylaudt's 
division,  though  it  wavered  and  swayed,  still  preserved  its  Hue 
intact;  while  the  brigades  of  Kempt  and  Pack,  formed  in  columns 
at  quarter  distance,  looked  steadily  and  sternly  before  them. 

On  came  the  French,  shouting,  as  is  their  wont,  in  an  ill- 
assorted  and  most  unmusical  chorus  ;  their  cries,  however,  being 
drowned  in  the  roar  of  the  cannonade,  which  went  forw'ard  con- 
tinually. Now  they  reached  the  lowest  part  of  the  valley — now 
they  began  to  ascend  the  opposite  slope  ;  and  by  and  by  from  the 
head  of  each  separate  column  skirmishers  ran  out  in  crowds. 
Between  these  and  the  light  troops  of  the  Allies  a  desultory 
firing  began.  The  reports  of  musketry  and  the  short  quick  puffs 
of  smoke  which  accompanied  tu-jiu.  first  attracted  attention  about 


i!>0  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xxu, 

the  orchard  and  inclosures  of  La  Haye  Sainte.  Almost  imme- 
diately afterwards,  similar  sights  and  sounds  became  distinguish- 
able in  front  of  Papelotte  and  La  Haye  ;  and  in  a  few  moments 
the  entire  front  of  the  British  line,  from  the  Charleroi  road  to 
the  more  remote  of  the  places  just  named,  presented  the  appear- 
ance of  an  animated  skirmish. 

The  four  French  infantry  divisions  which  thus  advanced  to  the 
attack  were  those  of  Durette,  Marcognet,  Alix,  and  Donzelat. 
Burette's  division  was  on  the  extreme  right,  being  flanked  only 
by  cavalry  ;  Donzelat  was  on  the  left,  and  moved  along  the  Char- 
leroi road,  which,  in  point  of  fact,  he  touched  with'  his  left ;  Alix 
and  Marcognet  constituted  the  right  and  left  centre  of  the  line  ; 
Alix  being  in  communication  with  D.  ur.elat's  right.  Marcognet 
with  the  left  of  Durette.  It  was  on  Durette's  side  that  the  first 
partial  advantage  was  won.  He  found  himself  opposed  by  a  body 
of  Nassau  troops,  whom  his  skirmishers  forced  through  the 
hedges,  and  beyond  the  farm-house  of  Papelotte.  Of  this  they 
took  possession,  keeping  it  till  reinforcements  arrived  for  the 
Nassauers,  when  they  in  their  turn  were  expelled  ;  and  as  the 
object  does  not  appear  to  have  been  very  highly  esteemed,  no  es- 
pecial pains  were  taken-to  recover  the  vantage  ground.  On  the 
contrary  Durette's  troops  seemed  to  accomplish  their  appointed 
purpose  so  long  as  they  amused  the  battalions  which  had  been 
posted  here,  and  kept  the  cavalry  that  was  in  support  of  them  on 
the  alert.  It  was  elsewhere  that  the  fighting  \vent  on  with  a  fe- 
rocity which  showed  that  more  than  demonstrations  were  in  prog- 
ress ;  and  many  and  desperate  were  the  feats  of  individual  daring 
to  which  it  led. 

While  Durette's  division  thus  amused  itself  and  that  portion 
of  the  Allied  army  which  fronted  it,  the  three  columns  to  its 
right  pressed  steadily  forward,  covered  for  a  time  by  the  murder- 
ous fire  of  more  than  70  pieces  of  cannon.  They  came,  not  un- 
supported by  artillery — as  well  as  horsemen.  Thirty  light  guns 
moved  in  the  intervals  between  them,  or  up  the  slope  of  the 
height  on  the  other  side  of  the  road ;  and  though  their  fire  was 
mute  during  the  advance,  the  spectacle  which  they  exhibited  was 
most  imposing.  Presently  one  of  Donzelat's  brigades  took 


3HAP.  xxn.]  FLIGHT  OF  BELGIANS.  19i 

ground  to  its  right,  and  bore  directly  upon  the  farm  of  La  Haye 
Sainte.  It  was  soon  warmly  engaged  with  the  companies  of  light 
Germans  which  held  that  post ;  and,  in  spite  of  a  gallant  resist- 
ance, ma 'le  its  way  into  the  orchard,  and  sweeping  round,  envel- 
oped the  whole  of  the  iiiclosures  in  a  blaze  of  fire.  Meanwhile  the 
remaining  brigade,  pushing  along  the  other  side  of  the  road,  was 
met  and  staggered  by  the  fire  of  the  two  companies  of  the  Rifle 
Brigade  which  occupied  the  sand-pit.  So  well  these  veterans 
plied  their  rifles,  and  so  immovable  they  proved  to  be,  in  spite  of 
repeated  endeavors  to  dislodge  them,  that  the  brigade,  acting,  as 
it  seemed,  without  orders,  inclined  to  its  right,  and  came  in- 
stantly into  contact  with  the  remaining  companies  which  lined  the 
hedge,  a  little  way  in  the  rear  of  it.  Against  these  the  French 
tirailleurs,  by  dint  of  numbers,  must  have  made  head  under  any 
circumstances  ;  but  just  as  the  strife  was  at  its  crisis,  events  be- 
fell still  more  to  the  French  right — which  left  the  Rifles  without 
an  alternative.  The  divisions  of  Alix  and  Marcognet  pressed  on 
without  a  check.  Their  skirmishers  drove  in  the  light  troops 
which  Bylandt  and  Best  had  thrown  out  to  restrain  them,  and 
were  beginning  to  open  their  fire  upon  the  Dutch-Belgian  line, 
when  the  latter,  which  had  never  been  steady  from  the  opening 
of  the  cannonade,  suddenly  lost  all  order,  aud  fairly  fled.  It  was 
to  no  purpose  that  many  of  the  officers  exerted  themselves  to 
stop  the  panic.  No  regard  was  paid  to  remonstrance,  reproof,  or 
exhortation  ;  but  the  whole  brigade,  turning  its  back,  ran  in  ex- 
treme confusion  quite  across  the  crest  of  the  position.  Loud 
were  the  hisses  and  bitter  the  execrations  wherewith  the  brigades 
of  Kempt  and  Pack  greeted  them  ;  indeed,  it  was  not  without 
difficulty  that  the  men  of  more  than  one  British  regiment  were 
prevented  from  firing  upon  them ;  but  though  a  battalion  of  Dutch 
militia  did  its  best  to  stop  them,  and  the  artillery  (likewise  Dutch) 
belonging  to  the  brigade  absolutely  threw  themselves  in  their  way, 
the  fugitives  could  not  be  stopped.  They  fairly  ran  over  guns, 
men,  and  horses,  and  swept  all  before  them. 

"  See,  ace  !"  cried  Capt.  Tyler,  Gen.  Picton's  aide-de-camp — 
who,  as  well  as  his  heroic  chief,  was  watching  from  the  brow  of 
the  lull  all  that  went  on — "  these  fellows  won't  stand ;  they 


192  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxur. 

are  shaking  already."  "  Never  mind,"  replied  Picton  ;  '*  they 
shall  have  a  taste  of  it,  at  any  rate :"  and  a  taste  they  unques- 
tionably had  ;  but  they  did  not  wait  for  more.  They  escaped 
into  the  valley  between  the  main  ridge  and  the  heights  that 
ascend  to  the  village  of  Mont  St.  Jean,  and  never,  throughout  the 
remainder  of  the  day,  came  under  fire  again. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Attack  and  Defence  of  the  British  Left  Centre. 

PICTON'S  division,  which  had  borne  the  brunt  of  the  battle  at 
Quatre  Bras,  was  reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton.  The  two  brigades 
of  Pack  and  Kempt — on  which  alone  he  could  now  rely — did  not 
muster  between  them  3000  men.  They  consisted  of  the  remains 
of  eight  battalions — namely,  the  28th,  32nd,  79th,  and  95th.  under 
Kempt — the  Royals,  42nd,  44th,  and  92nd  under  Pack.  Hav- 
ing vented  his  spleen  against  the  fugitives,  in  terms  to  which  his 
followers  were  not  unaccustomed,  Picton  deployed  the  whole  into 
line,  and  stood  to  receive  the  charge  of  not  fewer  than  13,000  in- 
fantry, besides  cavalry.  There  was  a  considerable  interval,  too, 
between  the  brigades.  All  the  space  which  Bylandt  ought  to 
have  occupied  was  vacant,  except  so  far  as  a  cloud  of  skirmishers 
managed  to  blind  it ;  but  these,  in  spite  of  a  stout  resistance. 
were  gradually  driven  in,  even  the  riflemen  from  the  sand-pit,  the 
road  above  it,  and  the  hedge  on  its  right  being  overpowered. 
Picton  was  nothing  daunted :  he  knew  that  in  his  rear  no  infan- 
try stood ;  and  that  on  his  personal  exertions,  and  those  of  his 
followers,  the  maintenance  of  the  centre  of  the  position  depended. 
He  rode  along  the  front  of  Kempt's  brigade,  therefore,  saying  en- 
couraging words  to  the  men ;  and  the  skirmishers,  as  they  came 
in,  took  their  proper  places  in  the  line  as  if  upon  an  ordinary 
parade.  And  now  the  head  of  one  of  the  columns  approached. 


CHAP  xxui.]    ATTACK  OF  THE  BRITISH  LEFT  CENTRE.  193 

It  looked  very  formidable  ;  and  it  was  so,  both  as  regarded  the 
number  and  the  composition  of  the  troops ;  and  the  shouts  with 
which  they  rent  the  air  proved  that  none  in  all  that  mass  expe- 
rienced the  slightest  distrust  of  their  own  prowess.  Suddenly 
the  fire  from  the  enemy's  batteries  ceased.  Their  own  people 
were  too  much  on  a  level  with  the  English  to  sanction  a  further 
exercise  of  their  skill ;  and  the  head  of  the  column  halting,  its  rear- 
most battalions  began  to  take  ground  to  the  right,  and  to  de- 
velope  a  line  which,  if  completed,  would  have  been  resistless. 
Picton  did  not  wait  for  such  development : — "  A  volley,  and 
then  charge  !"  shouted  he  at  the  top  of  his  Stentorian  voice  ;  and 
such  a  volley  was  delivered  within  thirty  yards  as  rent  the  force 
in  the  midst  of  its  formation  :  neither  was  a  moment  given  to  re- 
cover from  the  shock.  A  double  fence  or  hedge-row  separated 
the  belligerents,  through  which  Kempt's  brigade  rushed,  falling, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  into  momentary  confusion,  and  receiving  a 
deadly  fire  from  the  portion  of  the  enemy's  mass  which  was  in  a 
condition  to  act ;  but  order  was  at  once  restored  as  the  men 
gained  the  open  field  ;  and,  never  pausing  to  calculate  how  many 
of  their  comrades  might  have  dropped,  the  remainder  closed, 
with  a  shout,  upon  all  that  was  before  them.  It  were  vain  to  at- 
tempt a  description  of  what  followed.  In  modern  warfare  hand- 
to-hand  combats  rarely  occur — at  least  with  infantry  soldiers ; 
and  when  they  do  the  nature  of  the  weapons  with  which  the  com- 
batants are  armed  renders  the  struggle  necessarily  brief;  but  that 
day,  and  in  that  charge,  many  a  bayonet  and  sword  became 
bloody  enough,  for  the  very  colors  of  one  regiment,  at  least,  be- 
came  the  prize  for  which  men  contended.  So  completely  were 
the  foemcii  intermingled,  that  after  the  regimental  standard  of 
the  32nd  had  been  gathered  up  by  Lieut,  Belcher  from  a  fallen 
comrade,  Ensign  Birtwhistlc,  Lieut.  Belcher  was  forced  to  con- 
tend with  a  French  officer  for  the  maintenance  of  it.  The  latter 
fell,  indeed,  under  wounds  inflicted  by  more  than  his  immediate 
opponent ;  but  they  were  all  delivered  by  stroke  of  hand,  except 
the  last,  which  a  musket,  placed  against  the  side  of  his  head,  ren- 
dered mortal. 

The  charge  cl  ;iMo     Taken  in  the 

U 


194  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP. 

act  of  deploying,  the  very  numbers  of  the  enemy  told  against 
them  ;  and  they  were  borne  back  in  a  state  of  confusion  such  as 
must  be  seen  to  be  understood  ;  nevertheless  the  success  was  pur- 
chased at  a  dear  rate.  Picton,  struck  by  a  musket-ball  in  the 
temple,  fell  lifeless  from  his  horse,  and  was  instantly  carried  to 
the  rear  by  two  or  three  of  his  followers.  He  was  a  thorough 
soldier  in  his  life,  and  the  manner  of  his  death  is  not  now  to  be 
regretted  ;  for  he  fell,  as  he  himself  always  wished  to  do,  in  the 
field,  and  with  the  consciousness  about  him  of  having  well  done 
his  duty.  But  the  fall  of  their  leader  in  no  degree  discomposed 
or  disheartened  his  gallant  division.  Kempt  was  at  hand  to  sup- 
ply his  place,  which  he  did  right  gallantly  ;  and  the  line  moved  on, 
driving  before  it  all  resistance.  Doubtless  the  79th  had  hard 
work  to  recover  its  consistency — which  the  act  of  passing  through 
rather  a  thick  part  of  the  hedge,  and  a  warm  reception  from  a 
cloud  of  French  tirailleurs,  somewhat  discomposed  ;  but  a  good 
regiment,  like  the  79th,  may  be  destroyed — it  cannot  be  defeated. 
The  men  soon  regained  the  touch  ;  and  then  woe  to  the  French 
soldiers,  whether  in  line  or  dispersed,  that  endeavored  to  with- 
stand them. 

The  soldiers  of  the  5th  division  were  pressing  on  in  this  reso- 
lute manner,  when  support  suddenly  came  to  them  from  a  quarter 
on  which  they  did  not  calculate,  and  of  the  manner  and  occasion 
of  the  arrival  of  which  it  will  be  necessary  to  give  some  account. 

Allusion  has  elsewhere  been  made  to  the  premature  advance 
of  a  portion  of  Milhaud's  cuirassiers,  who,  either  because  they 
mistook  for  flight  a  prudent  move  of  a  portion  of  the  British  line, 
or  that  their  own  ardor  carried  them  beyond  the  limits  of  their 
instructions,  pushed  forward  on  the  left  of  Donzclat's  division, 
and  presently  got  ahead  of  it.  No  doubt  the  apparition  of  these 
steel-clad  horsemen  in  rear  of  the  inclosures  which  they  had  been 
appointed  to  maintain  was  not  without  its  effect  upon  the  garrison 
of  La  Haye  Sainte,  whose  skirmishers  were  driven  in  upon  the 
support  sent  down  to  strengthen  them,  and  both  suffered  severely ; 
for  the  cuirassiers  gained  the  rear  of  the  farm  just  as  a  Hanove- 
rian battalion,  detached  from  Kielmansegge's  brigade,  was  ap- 
proaching the  garden  fence.  And  as  these  latter  happened  to  be 


CHAP.  XXHI.]    ATTACK  OP  THE  BRITISH  LEFT  CENTRE.  195 

very  young  troops,  they  failed  to  form  in  time,  and  were,  as  well 
as  the  skirmishers,  with  whom  they  became  intermingled,  cut  well 
nigh  to  pieces.  Nevertheless,  the  advantage  gained  by  the  de- 
struction of  a  few  companies  of  untrained  infantry  was  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  consequences  to  which  it  led.  The  Duke 
having  communicated  with  Lord  Uxbridge,  the  latter  put  himself 
at  the  head  of  Lord  Edward  Somerset's  household  brigade,  and 
led  them  to  a  charge  of  which  the  results  will  be  imperfectly  un- 
derstood unless  the  reader  have  presented  to  his  mind's  eye  a  tol- 
erably correct  view  of  the  localities. 

The  centre  of  the  English  position,  of  which  the  brigades  of 
heavy  cavalry  were  in  support,  occupied  the  broad  summit  of  a 
range  of  heights,  having  in  its  front  the  Wavre  road,  which  cut? 
the  road  from  Charleroi  and  Genappe  at  right  angles.  The  Wa- 
vre road  is  to  a  considerable  extent  cut  into  the  face  of  the  hill. 
It  is,  therefore,  as  regards  the  fields  on  either  hand  of  it,  a  hollow 
way,  with  banks  which  vary  a  good  deal  in  regard  to  altitude,  but 
which,  throughout  a  considerable  part  of  the  space  of  which  we 
speak,  are  more  or  less  steep.  The  farm  of  La  Haye  Saiuto 
stands  on  the  farther,  that  is  on  the  French  side  of  the  Wavrc 
road,  at  a  distance  of  from  forty  to  sixty  yards  from  the  top  of 
the  hill.  It  was  in  the  interval  which  is  interposed  between  tho 
back  of  the  farm  and  the  Wavre  road  that  the  cuirassiers  fell  upon 
the  Hanoverian  infantry,  whom  they  cut  down  with  great  slaugh- 
ter, and  chased  to  the  crest  of  the  hill.  Some  of  the  fugitives 
swerving  to  the  right,  escaped  across  the  Charlcroi  road,  and 
joined  themselves  to  the  Rifle  Brigade  in  the  sand-pit  and  behind 
the  hedge.  Tho  rest  ran  wildly  towards  the  main  position,  and 
were  followed  beyond  the  Wavrc  road  by  the  right  wing  of  the 
cuirassiers,  who,  though  somewhat  confused  in  scrambling  over 
the  hollow  way.  soon  regained  their  touch.  As  a  measure  of  nec- 
essary precaution,  Kielmansegge's  and  Ompteda's  brigades  threw 
themselves  into  squares,  while  two  batteries  of  horse  artillery, 
Ross's  and  Lloyd's,  opened  their  fire.  But  tho  latter  had  not 
time  to  discharge  above  a  round  or  two  when  Lord  Edward  Som- 
erset's brigade  came  thundering  forward,  and  the  elite  of  the  horse- 
men of  the  rival  nations  met  in  close  and  desperate  strife 


196  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxiu. 

The  Household  Brigade,  consisting  of  the  1st  and  2nd  regi- 
ments of  Life  Guards,  the  Royal  Horse  Guards  or  Blues,  and  the 
1st  Dragoon  Guards,  was  formed  in  line,  having  the  Blues  as  a, 
support.  The  1st  Life  Guards  were  on  the  right,  the  2nd  Life 
Guards  on  the  left,  and  the  Dragoon  Guards  in  the  centre.  Thero 
was  a  slight  obliquity  in  the  plateau  whence  they  moved,  which 
brought  the  right  more  quickly  in  contact  with  the  enemy  than 
the  left,  though  the  shock  was  like  the  break  of  a  huge  wave 
on  the  sea-shore — begun,  indeed,  on  one  side  palpably  enough, 
but  almost  instantly  carried  in  its  impulse  to  the  other.  The 
left  of  the  cuirassiers  met  it  stoutly,  and  for  several  minutes  the 
conflict  is  compared  by  an  eye-witness  to  the  meeting  of  two  flocks 
of  sheep  in  a  confined  space,  neither  of  which  will  give  ground. 
The  French  right  were  unable  to  show  the  same  determined  front. 
They  had  not  yet  crossed  the  hollow  road,  which  curves  a  good 
deal  in  the  direction  of  Hougomont,  when  the  Household  Brigade 
made  their  appearance.  They  therefore  put  their  horses  to  their 
speed,  and  found  themselves  suddenly  checked  by  an  impediment 
which  it  was  not  easy,  in  their  circumstances,  to  surmount.  Nev- 
ertheless, they  went  at  the  declivity,  and  were  forcing  their  horses 
up  the  opposite  bank,  when  the  2nd  Life  Guards  came  upon  them. 
Resistance,  in  such  a  situation,  was  impossible.  They  wheeled  to 
the  right,  and  galloping  across  the  Charleroi  road,  went  down  the 
hill,  through  the  skirmishers  that  lined  the  hedge,  some  of  them 
even  floundering  into  the  sand-pit.  These  latter  died  to  a  man  ; 
but  the  rest,  breaking  through  the  hedge,  and  slashing  at  such  of 
the  soldiers  of  the  95th  as  lay  under  it,  endeavored  to  rally  in 
rear  of  their  own  skirmishers,  where  they  were  fiercely  attacked 
by  the  Life  Guards,  who  had  followed,  helter-skelter,  as  the  ene- 
my fled,  and  now  engaged  in  a  state  of  as  wild  confusion  as  their 
own.  It  is  on  such  occasions  that  opportunities  for  individual 
heroism  are  afforded,  which,  however  animated  the  descriptions 
of  them  may  be,  do  not,  in  modern  warfare,  make  amends  for  the 
loss  of  power  which  attaches  to  cavalry  only  while  it  is  massed. 
Here  Shaw,  the  celebrated  pugilist,  earned  a  name  for  himself 
by  disabling,  with  his  own  hand,  not  fewer  than  seven  enemies ; 
and  here  he  received  the  multitude  of  wounds,  of  the  aggregate 


CHAP.  xxiii.J    ATTACK  OF  THE  BRITISH  LEFT  CENTRE.  197 

of  which,  not  of  any  one  in  particular  out  of  the  number,  he  died. 
The  common  story  is — and  Capt.  Siborne,  in  his  valuable  history, 
has  repeated  it — that  poor  Shaw  fell  from  a  carbine-ball  delivered 
by  a  French  cuirassier  from  the  flank.  This  is  a  mistake.  Shaw 
continued  with  his  regiment  till  the  ardor  of  men  and  horses  car- 
ried them  whence  few  were  able  to  return,  and  reached  the  posi- 
tion again  so  enfeebled  from  loss  of  blood  that  he  could  with  diffi- 
culty creep  to  a  dunghill  beside  one  of  the  straggling  houses  in 
the  rear,  where  he  lay  down.  Nobody  noticed  him  during  the 
remainder  of  the  struggle  ;  but  next  morning  he  was  found  dead, 
without  one  wound  about  him  sufficiently  serious  in  itself  to  oc- 
casion death. 

It  is  an  old  subject  of  blame  by  continental  officers,  that  Eng- 
lish cavalry,  if  successful  in  a  charge,  never  know  when  to  stop. 
It  is  even  asserted  by  Marshal  Marmont,  in  his  recent  work  on 
the  Art  of  War,  that  so  well  known  was  this  disposition  to  him- 
self and  to  others,  that  they  have  repeatedly,  by  feigned  retreats, 
drawn  English  squadrons  into  positions  where  a  fire  of  musketry 
from  some  copse  or  the  road-side  has  destroyed  them.  Marshal 
Marmont  may  be  right  or  wrong  in  the  abstract ;  but  the  fact  is 
beyond  dispute,  that  Somerset's  noble  brigade  not  only  carried 
all  before  them,  but  followed  the  tide  of  battle  down  the  hill,  re- 
gardless of  consequences.  They  neither  had  any  support,  nor 
looked  for  it ;  for  the  Blues,  seeing  their  comrades  in  the  melee, 
could  not  be  restrained  ;  and  thus  the  whole  soon  became  inter- 
mingled. Neither  did  they  lack  the  companionship  of  the  sister 
brigade,  though  its  first  blow  fell  upon  two  columns  of  French  in- 
fantry, which,  mounting  the  hill  a  little  to  the  left  of  Kempt's 
ground,  had  become  warmly  engaged  with  Pack's  brigade :  this 
latter  force,  it  will  be  remembered,  consisted  of  the  Royals,  the 
42nd,  the  92nd,  and  44th  regiments,  which  had  supported  By- 
landt's  Belgians  ere  the  latter  ran  away,  and  were  now  moved 
up  to  fill  the  space  which  had  become  vacant.  They  stood,  the 
Iloyals  on  the  right,  the  44th  on  the  left  of  the  line,  but  the  left 
wing  of  the  44th  forming  in  rear  of  Best's  Hanoverians,  the  bat 
talion  was  baited  upon  the  summit  in  support.  Threo  skeleton 
regiments,  therefore,  were  all  that  could  be  formed  to  receive  the 


198  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxui. 

shock  of  four  strong  brigades,  which  in  contiguous  columns  of 
battalions  advanced  against  them,  and  crowned  the  ridge  on  which 
they  stood.  It  was  a  moment  of  high  emprise  to  the  boldest,  and 
all  felt  it  to  be  such.  Pack  rode  along  his  line,  not  to  animate, 
but  to  caution  his  men  that  they  should  be  steady,  while  a  dozen 
bagpipes  brayed  out  simultaneously  the  war-cry  of  the  far  north. 
On  the  enemy  came.  They  crossed  the  hedge ;  they  were  within 
forty  yards  of  the  Highlanders,  and  delivered  a  fire,  of  which  the 
Highlanders  took  no  notice.  The  latter  were  not  yet  sufficiently 
closed  up  to  act  according  to  the  customs  of  their  forefathers ; 
and  so  they  marched  on  till  more  than  half  the  intervening  space 
was  compassed.  Then,  indeed,  such  a  volley  rushed  through  their 
closed  ranks,  that  the  masses  shook  as  corn  waves  when  a  hurri- 
cane falls  upon  it  suddenly ;  and  in  a  moment  the  bayonets  were 
levelled.  The  enemy  did  not  hesitate ;  they  returned  the  High- 
landers' fire,  and  stood  ;  while  the  92nd — a  mere  handful  of  men 
— rushed  into  the  midst  of  them.  Long  after  that  day,  individ- 
uals who  witnessed  the  charge  used  to  speak  of  the  thrilling  sen- 
sation which  overcame  them  when  they  beheld  some  hundred  and 
fifty  or  two  hundred  bonnets  and  plumes  lost,  so  to  speak,  amid 
a  crowd  of  chakos.  But  lost  they  were  not.  Just  at  this  mo- 
ment Ponsonby's  heavy  brigade,  the  Royal  Dragoons,  the  Scotch 
Greys,  and  the  Inniskillens  came  up  at  speed,  and,  shouting  to 
their  dismounted  comrades  to  give  place,  passed  through  the  in- 
tervals of  companies  and  battalions,  and  fell  headlong  upon  the 
French.  "  Scotland  for  ever !"  cried  the  Greys,  as  they  passed. 
"  Scotland  for  ever  !"  replied  their  dismounted  countrymen  ;  and 
many  seized  the  stirrup-leathers  of  the  troopers,  and  were  borne 
forward  into  the  heart  of  the  melee.  Never,  in  the  annals  of 
modern  warfare,  has  a  cavalry  charge  been  more  decisive.  The 
enemy  vainly  endeavored  to  act  together.  The  front  was  cloven; 
the  centre  penetrated ;  and  the  rear,  while  attempting  to  deployi 
as  against  infantry,  utterly  dispersed.  In  five  minutes  the  whole 
side  of  the  acclivity  was  covered  with  fugitives,  who  fought  singly, 
or  in  small  groups,  to  die  under  the  swords  of  the  troopers. 

The  numbers  who  fell  on  that  occasion  can  never  be  accurately 
stated.     That  they  were  very  great  the  state  of  the  field,  both 


CHAP,  xxin.]    ATTACK  OF  THE  BRITISH  LEFT  CENTRE.  199 

then  and  subsequently,  showed ;  while  2000  prisoners,  with  the 
eagle  of  the  45th  regiment,  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  victors. 
This  last  was  taken  by  Sergeant  Ewart,  a  brave  and  expert 
swordsman,  who,  seeing  it  encircled  by  a  band  of  resolute  men, 
attacked  them  single  handed,  and  won  the  prize.  It  is  satisfac- 
tory to  be  able  to  add  that  his  valor  was  not  left  unrewarded. 
Within  a  year  (how  much  better  if  the  rules  of  our  service  would 
have  permitted  the  deed  to  have  been  done  on  the  spot!)  he  was 
promoted  to  a  commission  in  a  veteran  battalion. 

The  Duke's  orders  to  his  generals  of  division  and  of  brigade 
were  explicit — that  they  should  not  be  induced  by  any  momen- 
tary success  to  advance  beyond  the  rest  of  the  line.  Pack,  there- 
fore, having  with  difficulty  restrained  the  ardor  of  his  men  and 
secured  his  prisoners,  sent  the  latter  to  the  rear,  and  formed  on 
the  ground  whence  the  French  had  fled.  It  was  not  so  with  the 
Union  brigade.  Ponsonby  would  have  fain  followed  the  exam- 
ple; but  the  thing  was  not  to  be  accomplished.  In  vain  the 
trumpet  sounded  to  halt  and  rally.  Intoxicated  with  success, 
and  in  some  instances,  perhaps,  carried  away  by  their  horses,  the  ' 
men  paid  no  heed  to  the  recall.  That  which  the  Greys  had  done 
on  the  left,  the  Royals  effected  on  the  right,  and  the  Inniskillens 
in  the  centre.  The  former  corps  fell  upon  that  portion  of  Alix's 
division  which,  having  advanced  upon  the  space  left  vacant  by 
llylandt's  flight,  had  not  been  opposed  to  any  infantry.  It  was, 
therefore,  considerably  ahead  of  the  column  on  its  right,  being 
through  the  hedge  and  across  the  Wavre  road,  and  seemed  in  a 
fair  way  of  penetrating  to  the  village  of  Mont  St.  Jean,  when 
the  Royals  suddenly  appeared,  mounting  the  slope  at  speed,  and 
looking  as  formidable  as  "  big  men  on  big  horses"  arc  apt  to  do. 
The  French  column  seemed  to  be  taken  with  a  sudden  panic. 
They  had  not  calculated  on  finding  cavalry  here,  and  were  a  little 
confused  in  consequence  of  having  just  passed  over  broken  ground 
and  -through  the  hedges.  They  therefore  made  no  attempt  to 
form  square ;  but,  delivering  an  irregular  fire  from  the  front 
ranks,  endeavored  to  escape  behind  the  hedge  again.  It  was  a 
fatal  movement.  Long  before  they  could  reach  the  covered 
places  of  shelter  the  Royals  were  among  them ;  and  such  a  sccno 


200  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxm. 

of  slaughter  and  confusion  ensued  as  baffles  all  attempt  at  de- 
scription. One  regiment,  the  28th,  did  indeed  retain  some  ap- 
pearance of  order.  It  was  immediately  in  rear  of  the  105th,  and 
supported  it ;  and  round  it  the  fugitives  strove  to  rally.  But 
this  was  not  permitted.  The  long  swords  of  the  British  horsemen 
mowed  them  down  by  the  score  ;  and  the  28th  soon  became  in- 
volved in  the  common  confusion. 

It  was  in  this  charge  that  Capt.  Clarke,  now  Col.  Clarke  Ken- 
nedy, commanding  the  centre  squadron  of  the  Royals,  performed 
an  exploit  similar  to  that  which  won  for  Sergeant  Ewart  his  epau- 
lettes. He  too  saw  the  eagle  of  a  French  regiment,  the  105th, 
surrounded  by  its  guard,  and,  breaking  through,  killed  with  his 
own  hand  the  officer  who  bore  it.  The  standard  fell,  and  Capt. 
Clarke  endeavored  to  catch  it,  but  his  horse  carried  him  forward, 
and  he  touched  only  the  fringe  on  the  edge  of  the  silk.  The 
pole  dropped  across  the  neck  of  the  horse  on  which  his  coverer, 
Corporal  Stiles,  was  mounted,  and  that  good  soldier,  grasping  his 
trophy,  had  the  honor  of  bearing  it  out  of  the  field.  Both  of 
these  standards  now  hang,  beside  many  more,  in  the  chapel  of 
the  Royal  Hospital  at  Chelsea. 


CHAP.  xx.v.J  CAVALRY  OPERATIONS.  201 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Cavalry  Operations. 

IF  the  gallant  Inniskillens  were  not  equally  fortunate  with 
their  comrades  in  seizing  standards  or  bearing  other  trophies 
from  the  field,  they  were  to  the  full  as  forward  in  the  fight ;  and 
not  less  successfully  so.  The  right  and  left  wings,  consisting 
each  of  two  squadrons,  fell  respectively  upon  the  54th  and  55th 
French  regiments  of  the  line,  through  which  they  broke  with  re- 
sistless violence,  covering  the  ground  with  the  slain.  The  num- 
bers of  the  prisoners  whom  they  made  surpassed  those  taken  by 
the  Greys  and  Royals,  for  whole  companies  fled  within  the  British 
position  and  surrendered  to  the  infantry,  in  order  to  escape  from 
the  sharp  swords  of  these  horsemen.  And  here  occurred  an  in- 
cident which,  though  it  has  frequently  been  described  before, 
cannot  well  be  omitted  from  any  narrative  which  undertakes  to 
tell  the  story  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  A  gentleman  in  colored 
clothes  had  been  seen  riding,  under  the  hottest  of  the  fire,  along 
the  brow  of  the  English  heights.  That  he  was  not  altogether  a 
novice  in  the  game  that  was  going  forward  his  manner  of  bearing 
himself  seemed  to  denote,  and  he  suddenly  arrived  on  the  flank 
of  the  Inniskillens,  just  as  they  were  about  to  charge  across  the 
Wavre  road,  shouting,  as  one  might  who  could  have  well  directed 
the  movement,  "  At  'em,  my  lads ;  at  'em,  now's  your  time  !"  It 
was  the  late  chivalrous  and  gallant  Duke  of  Richmond,  who, 
though  but  a  visitor  at  Brussels,  could  not  be  aware  that  a  great 
battle  was  about  to  be  waged  within  a  morning's  ride  of  him,  yet 
keep  at  a  distance  from  the  field.  The  Duke  had  not  fewer  than 
three  sons  in  the  fight — flie  present  Duke,  then  Earl  of  March, 
Lord  George,  and  Lord  William  Lennox — and  that  only  one  of 
all  these  received  a  severe  wound  may  be  accounted  a  marvellous 
piece  of  good  lack ;  for  none  of  the  blood  of  Lennox  ever 

0* 


202  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxiv. 

shrank  from  danger,  and  all  were  that  day  more  than  usually 
exposed  to  it. 

The  charges  of  Ponsonby's  brigade  on  infantry,  and  of  Lord 
Edward   Somerset's  on  cavalry,  were   delivered  almost  at  the 
same  moment.     They  were  alike  successful ;  that  of  the  House- 
hold troops  more  gradually  so,  for  the  cuirassiers  gave  ground 
unwillingly,  but  of  both  the  triumph  was  complete.     The  right 
of  Somerset's  brigade,  consisting  of  the  1st  Life  Guards  and 
Blues,  did  not  find  the  same  opportunity  of  being  carried  away 
by  their  own  ardor  as  the  regiments  on  the  left.     They  had  the 
mass  of  the  enemy's  horsemen  in  their  front,  who,  though  driven 
back,  retired  doggedly  and  fought  till  succor  arrived.     It  was 
not  so  with  the  2nd  Life  Guards  and  the  1st  Dragoon  Guards. 
Dashing  across  the  Charleroi  road  in  pursuit  of  that  portion  of 
the  fugitives  who  betook  themselves  thither,  they  soon  got  inter- 
mingled with  the  Inniskillens  and  the  lloyals ;  whereupon  both 
parties,  seeming  to  catch  fresh  animation  from  the  circumstances 
under  which  they  met,  dashed  on,  heedful  of  nothing  except  the 
work  of  destruction.     It  was  to  no  purpose  that  Lord  Uxbridge 
sounded  to  halt  and  rally ;  and  vain  were  the  glances  which  he 
threw  behind  for  the  support  which  was  nowhere.     The  Greys, 
which  had  been  directed  to  form  a  second  line  for  Ponsonby,  were 
already  ahead  of  their  comrades ;  and  Lord  Edward  Somerset's 
reserve,  the  Blues,  though  better  in  hand,  were  hacking  and  hew- 
ing on  the  flank  of  the  column  of  cuirassiers.     What  were  the 
light  cavalry  about?   Before  the  battle  began,  the  brigadiers  had 
been  separately  instructed  to  give  support,  at  their  own  discre- 
tion, wherever  it  might  seem  to  be  needed ;  and  never  surely  was 
/support  more  required  than  now,  when  success  had  as  completely 
dispersed  the  heavy  brigades  as  if  they  had  sustained  a  defeat. 
The  light  cavalry  were  not  so  much  to  blame  as  their  chief  seemed 
to  imagine.     Vandeleur,  who  stood  nearest  with  the  llth,  12th, 
and  16th,  was  already  in  motion ;  but  he  had  a  considerable  de- 
tour to  make,  in  order  to  avoid  a  ravine*,  and  though  he  used  his 
best  exertions  he  arrived  late  upon  the  field ;  for  nothing  stopped 
the  progress  of  the  Royals  and  Inniskillens  till,  with  such  of  the 
2nd  Life  Guards  as  had  tumult uously  mingled  with  them,  they 


CHAP,  xxiv.]  CAVALRY  OPERATIONS.  203 

plunged  into  the  valley.  Then,  indeed,  a  murderous  fire  from  a 
compact  corps  of  infantry  on  the  right  staggered  them,  and  somo 
pieces  of  cannon,  getting  their  range,  told  fearfully.  Moreover, 
a  second  column  of  cuirassiers,  fresh  and  in  perfect  order,  was 
seen  advancing  on  the  opposite  side,  and  both  time  and  means 
of  forming  so  as  to  meet  them  were  wanting.  Nothing  remained, 
therefore,  but  for  the  victors  to  wheel  about  and  retire,  which 
they  did  in  great  confusion  and  not  without  loss,  for  their  horses 
were  blown  and  the  ground  beneath  their  feet  was  wet  and  heavy. 
It  would  have  been  well  for  their  comrades  on  the  left  had  they 
too  pnlled  up  at  the  same  time ;  but  they  did  not ;  no  musketry 
fire  fell  upon  them.  The  enemy's  batteries  rained  grape,  it  is 
true ;  but  the  salute  seemed  to  exasperate,  not  to  cow  them,  and 
having  cut  their  way  to  the  bottom  of  their  own  height,  they 
rushed  through  the  valley  and  ascended  the  slope  on  the  oppo- 
site side.  They  were  now  upon  a  level  with  the  French  guns, 
and,  turning  sharp  to  the  left,  they  swept  the  whole  line,  killing 
the  men  and  sabring  the  horses  as  they  past.  They  did  not 
observe,  unfortunately  for  themselves,  that  a  brigade  of  lancers 
was  in  motion,  till  it  arrived  obliquely  upon  their  flank  in  over- 
whelming numbers.  They  were  overmatched  at  once,  and  they 
knew  it. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  flank  of  the  Blues  and  the  1st  Life  Guards 
the  French  had  brought  a  couple  of  guns  to  bear.  The  infantry, 
likewise,  which  thronged  the  orchard  of  La  Haye  Sainte,  opened  a 
murderous  fire,  and  the  two  regiments,  after  sustaining  some  loss, 
wheeled  round  and  retreated.  They  came  back  in  good  order, 
though  closely  pursued  by  the  cuirassiers  whom  they  had  just 
driven  back,  and  were  soon  safe  behind  the  infantry  line,  though 
not  till  various  accidents  occurred,  among  which  the  fate  of  Lord 
Edward  Somerset  deserves  to  be  noticed.  His  Lordship  was  re- 
tiring in  rear  of  his  men,  when  a  cannon-shot  struck  his  horse  and 
lie  rolled  over.  "  Scramble  through  the  hedge,"  shouted  an  officer, 
us  he  flew  past ;  "  you  have  not  a  moment  to  lose ;"  and  scramble 
through  Lord  Edward  did,  without  ever  rising  except  on  his  hands 
nnd  knees.  Well  was  it  for  him  that  he  thus  disposed  of  himself, 
for  the  next  instant  tho  pursuers  were  up  to  the  fence,  and,  in 


204  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxiv. 

epite  of  a  rattling  fire  from  the  riflemen  who  lined  it,  they  soon 
pressed  through. 

Simultaneously  with  the  alvance  of  D'Erlon's  corps,  and  its 
formation  into  columns  of  attack,  had  been  the  descent  of  Bach- 
elu's  infantry  division  from  its  place  on  the  crest  of  the  hill  of 
La  Belle  Alliance,  where  it  formed  the  right  of  Reille's  corps. 
It  did  not  join  the  onward  march,  but  taking  post  on  the  brow  of 
a  second  range,  intermediate  between  La  Belle  Alliance  and  La 
Haye  Sainte,  it  held  itself  in  readiness  to  sustain  the  attacking 
force,  while  at  the  same  time  it  kept  up  the  communication  be- 
tween the  right  and  left  wings  of  the  foremost  line  of  the  French 
army.  It  was  this  division  which  with  its  musketry  fire  staggered 
the  1st  Life  Guards  and  Blues,  while  pressing  upon  the  rear  of 
the  cuirassiers,  and,  with  the  help  of  the  guns  which  opened  on 
their  flank,  forced  these  regiments  to  retire.  But  they  were  all 
on  the  west  of  the  Charleroi  road,  and  for  the  present,  at  least, 
escaped  the  annihilation  which  seemed  to  have  overtaken  the 
leading  regiments  of  D'Erlon's  corps.  Even  the  latter,  however, 
were  not  without  some  support.  In  spite  of  the  fury  with  which 
Ponsonby's  troopers  had  ridden  through  them,  several  battalions 
gathered  to  a  heap  on  the  lower  part  of  the  slope,  and,  though 
very  unsteady,  presented,  when  viewed  from  above,  a  not  unfor- 
midable  appearance.  They  had  thrown  themselves,  as  it  were, 
on  the  line  of  the  retreat  of  the  Greys,  Royals,  and  Inniskillens, 
and  as  these  regiments,  with  portions  of  the  Dragoon  Guards  and 
2nd  Life  Guards,  were  charged  by  an  overwhelming  number  of 
lancers,  their  destruction  seemed  to  be  inevitable.  It  was  at  this 
critical  moment  that  Yandeleur  came  tip  to  the  rescue,  and  some 
sharp  fighting  ensued. 

It  has  already  been  shown  that,  in  moving  to  support  their 
comrades,  according  to  the  general,  but  judicious,  instructions  of 
Lord  Uxbridge,  Vandeleur's  brigade  was  compelled,  on  account 
of  the  nature  of  the  ground,  to  make  a  considerable  detour  to  the 
right.  The  brigade  gained  the  level  at  last,  and,  forming  in  lines 
of  regiments,  pushed  forward ;  the  12th  leading,  the  16th  imme- 
diately supporting,  and  the  1 1th  in  reserve.  The  12th,  with  Col 
Ponsonby  at  their  head,  galloped  down  the  declivity,  and  taking 


CHAP,  xxiv.]  CAVALRY  OPERATIONS.  205 

note  of  the  infantry  column  of  which  the  formation  was  as  yet  im- 
perfect, rushed,  in  the  first  instance,  upon  that.  They  went  right 
through,  scattering  and  cutting  down  all  that  encountered  them. 
But  they  did  not  halt  to  complete  their  victory ;  their  business 
was  to  relieve  the  broken  heavy  cavalry  from  the  pressure  of  the 
French  lancers ;  and  hence,  though  their  own  ranks  were  una- 
voidably confused  by  the  process  of  breaking  a  square,  they 
brought  up  their  left  shoulders,  and  came  down  with  resistless 
vehemence  on  the  flank  of  the  French  cavalry.  They  literally 
rolled  up  all  on  whom  they  fell ;  while  the  ICth,  with  whom  Van- 
deleur  advanced  in  person,  charged  the  front  of  another  line  of 
lancers,  and  effectually  stopped  them.  Again  the  impetuosity  of 
English  men  and  English  horses  carried  them  too  far  ;  they  got 
intermixed  with  broken  parties  of  the  Greys  and  the  other  heavy 
regiments,  and  went  tearing  up  the  face  of  the  French  hill  like 
madmen.  The  1 1th,  however,  kept  its  order,  as  did  a  light  bri- 
gade of  Belgian-Dutch  cavalry,  which,  indeed,  attempted  nothing 
more  than  a  mere  display  upon  the  crest  of  the  position,  and  Vi- 
vian, sweeping  up  from  the  extreme  left  with  his  hussars,  ren- 
dered all  tolerably  safe.  But  the  effect  of  this  excessive  eagerness 
in  the  troops  more  immediately  engaged  soon  became  apparent. 
The  French  far  out-numbered  the  Allies  in  cavalry ;  a  reserve 
and  supports  were  always  at  hand,  which  now  coming  up  in  ex- 
cellent order,  once  more  turned  the  tide  of  battle.  Back  went 
most  of  our  troopers  helter-skelter  ;  the  loss  was  immense,  for  the 
horses  of  the  enemy  were  fresh,  while  those  of  the  English  were 
blown ;  and  in  scattered  combat,  particularly  under  circumstances 
so  disadvantageous,  swordsmen  have  little  chance  against  lancers : 
that  any  of  them  succeeded  in  reaching  the  crest  of  the  position, 
and  re-forming,  as  they  did,  under  cover  of  the  infantry,  was 
owing  wholly  to  the  excellent  practice  of  the  horse-artillery,  and 
the  bold  front  presented  by  Vivian's  hussars.  But  the  ground 
was  covered  with  the  dead  and  dying,  among  whom  both  Pon- 
sonbys,  the  General,  and  the  Commandant  of  the  12th  were  num- 
bered. The  former,  who  was  that  day  very  indifferently  mounted, 
stuck  fast  in  a  ploughed  field,  and  there  perished.  A  party  of 
lancers  overtook  him,  and,  without  so  much  as  offering  quarter, 


205  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxnr. 

pierced  him  through  and  through ;  the  gallant  Colonel  fared  bet- 
ter— that  is  to  say,  he  survived,  though  at  the  expense  of  an 
amount  of  suffering  which  is  only  to  be  described  in  his  own 
words.  After  narrating  the  rush  of  his  regiment  through  the  in- 
fantry, he  goes  on  to  say : — 

"  We  had  no  sooner  passed  through  them  than  we  were  our- 
selves attacked,  before  we  could  form,  by  about  300  Polish  Lan- 
cers, who  had  hastened  to  their  relief:  the  French  artillery  pour- 
ing in  among  us  a  heavy  fire  of  grape,  though  for  one  of  our  men 
they  killed  three  of  their  own.  In  the  melee  I  was  almost  in- 
stantly disabled  in  both  arms,  losing  first  my  sword  and  then  my 
reins,  and,  followed  by  a  few  of  my  men,  who  were  presently  cut 
down — no  quarter  being  asked  or  given — I  was  carried  along  by 
my  horse,  till,  receiving  a  blow  from  a  sabre,  I  fell  senseless  on 
my  face  to  the  ground. 

"  Recovering,  I  raised  myself  a  little  to  look  round,  being  at 
that  time,  I  believe,  in  a  condition  to  get  up  and  run  away,  when 
a  lancer  passing  by,  cried  out — '  Tu  n'es  pas  niort,  coquin !'  and 
struck  his  lance  through  my  back.  My  head  dropped,  the  blood 
gushed  into  my  mouth,  a  difficulty  of  breathing  came  on,  and  I 
thought  all  was  over. 

"  Not  long  afterwards  (it  was  then  impossible  to  measure  time, 
but  I  must  have  fallen  in  less  than  ten  minutes  after  the  onset) 
a  tirailleur  stopped  to  plunder  me,  threatening  my  life.  I  di- 
rected him  to  a  small  side-pocket,  in  which  he  found  three  dollars, 
all  I  had ;  but  he  continued  to  threaten,  and  I  said  he  might 
search  me  :  this  he  did  immediately,  unloosing  my  stock,  and  tear- 
ing open  my  waistcoat,  and  leaving  me  in  a  very  uneasy  posture. 

"  But  he  was  no  sooner  gone  than  an  officer  bringing  up  some 
troops,  to  which,  probably,  the  tirailleur  belonged,  and  happening 
to  halt  where  I  lay,  stooped  down  and  addressed  me,  saying,  he 
feared  I  was  badly  wounded :  I  said  that  I  was,  and  expressed  a 
wish  to  be  removed  to  the  rear.  He  said  it  was  against  their  or- 
ders to  remove  even  their  own  men  ;  but  that  if  they  gained  the 
day  (and  he  understood  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  killed, 
and  that  some  of  our  battalions  had  surrendered),  every  attention 


CHAP,  xxnr.]  CAVALRY  OPERATIONS.  207 

in  his  power  would  bo  shown  me.  I  complained  of  thirst,  and  he 
held  his  brandy-bottle  to  my  lips,  directing  one  of  the  soldiers 
to  lay  me  straight  on  my  side,  and  place  a  knapsack  under  my 
head.  He  then  passed  on  into  the  action,  soon  perhaps  to  want, 
though  not  to  receive,  the  same  assistance ;  and  I  shall  never 
know  to  whose  generosity  I  was  indebted,  as  I  believe,  for  my  life. 
Of  what  rank  he  was  I  cannot  say  :  he  wore  a  great-coat." 

So  spoke  the  brave  and  gentle  Ponsonby,  describing  in  after 
years  the  events  of  that  day,  and  drawing  a  vivid  but  true  picture 
of  the  occurrences  which  shed  both  -light  and  darkness  over  every 
field  of  battle ;  and  though  in  going  onward  with  his  narrative 
events  must  of  necessity  be  anticipated,  the  tale  is  too  touching 
not  to  be  placed  on  record  as  it  stands.  "  By  and  by,"  he  con- 
tinues, "  another  tirailleur  came  up,  a  fine  young  man,  full  of  ar- 
dor. He  knelt  down,  and  fired  over  me,  loading  and  firing  many 
times,  and  conversing  with  me  freely  all  the  while."  What  a  sit- 
uation to  be  in,  and  what  a  strange  dialogue — if  dialogue  that  can 
be  called,  which  appears  to  have  thrown  the  stream  of  conversation 
all  into  one  channel,  for  the  tirailleur  seems  to  have  been  the  sole 
interlocutor,  and  his  communications  related  entirely  to  the  effects 
of  his  own  shots,  and  to  the  course  which  the  battle  was  taking ! 
"  At  last  he  ran  away,  saying — '  Vous  serez  bien  aise  d'apprendrc 
que  nous  aliens  nous  retirer.  Bon  jour,  mon  ami.'  " 

Thus  throughout  the  whole  of  the  day,  from  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  Ponsonby  lay  among  the  dying  and  the  dead. 
But  not  even  with  the  flight  of  the  enemy  were  his  perilous  ad- 
ventures ended. 

"  It  was  dusk,"  he  continues,  "  when  two  squadrons  of  Prussian 
cavalry,  each  of  them  two  deep,  came  across  the  valley,  and  passed 
over  me  in  full  trot,  lifting  me  from  the  ground  and  tumbling  me 
about  cruelly.  The  clatter  of  their  approach,  and  the  apprehen- 
sions they  excited,  may  be  imagined :  a  gun  taking  that  direction 
must  have  destroyed  me.  » 

"  The  battle  was  now  at  an  end,  or  removed  to  a  distance.  The 
shouts,  the  imprecations,  the  outcries  of  '  Vive  1'Empcrcur !'  the 
discharges  of  musketry  and  cannon  were  over,  and  the  groans  of 


208  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    ICHAP.  xxv. 

the  wounded  all  around  me  became  every  moment  more  and  more 
audible :  I  thought  the  night  would  never  end." 

But  we  must  draw  for  the  present  a  curtain  over  this  scene  ; 
for  the  time  to  describe  the  field,  when  nothing  but  the  wreck  of 
the  battle  covered  it,  has  not  yet  come.  - 


CHAPTER     XXV. 

Second  Attack  on  Hougomont — Advance  of  the  French  Cavalry. 

WHILE  this  fierce  combat  was  in  progress  along  the  centre  and 
left  of  the  British  line,  the  right  had  not  been  permitted  to  breathe 
freely.  Scarcely  was  D'Erlon's  corps  launched,  when  the  attack 
upon  Hougomont  renewed  itself  with  fresh  ardor ;  reinforcements 
coming  up  from  both  Jerome's  and  Foy's  divisions,  to  co-operate 
with  the  assailants.  The  latter  had  never  been  driven  entirely 
out  of  the  wood,  and  now,  with  the  help  of  fresh  troops,  they  re- 
gained possession  of  the  whole  of  it.  This  brought  them  in  front 
of  the  garden-wall,  at  a  distance  of  not  more  than  twenty  or  thirty 
yards,  and  they  poured  upon  it  such  a  storm  of  bullets  as  rendered 
the  position  of  the  defenders,  though  exposed  only  through  the 
loop-holes,  a  very  perilous  one.  Moreover,  they  pushed  forward 
on  both  flanks  of  the  building,  pressing  Saltoun  back  through  the 
great  orchard,  and  winning  their  way  along  the  lane  and  through 
the  ravine  which  skirt  the  chateau  on  the  other  side ;  but  on  the 
chateau  itself  they  made  no  impression.  It  was  held  by  a  garri- 
son, feeble  indeed  as  regarded  numbers,  but  of  indomitable  cour- 
age, which  was  always  ready  to  meet  and  to  repel  the  first  symp- 
toms of  a  design  to  burst  open  a  gate  or  to  scramble  over  a  wall. 

The  fight  had  lasted  about  half  an  hour,  when  Gen.  Byng, 
taking  note  of  the  progress  which  the  enemy  were  making,  di- 
rected Col.  Hepburn,  with  the  2nd  battalion  of  the  3rd  Guards, 
to  move  down  the  slope  and  support  Lord  Saltoun.  It  was  time 


CHAP,  xxv.]        SECOND  ATTACK  ON  HOUGOMONT.  209 

that  tliis  should  be  done,  for  Saltoun's  party  had  dwindled  to  a 
few  men,  and  these,  compelled  to  give  ground,  which  they  did 
inch  by  inch,  were  now  making  their  last  stand  in  a  hollow 
way  outside  of  the  orchard  altogether.  In  a  few  minutes  the  as- 
pect of  affairs  was  changed  ;  Hepburn's  battalion,  fresh  and  full 
of  ardor,  rushed  at  Ihe  orchard  fence,  and  sprang  over  it;  where- 
upon the  French  tirailleurs  fled,  and  soon  got  jammed  into  knots 
while  striving  to  escape  through  two  or  three  gaps  in  the  opposite 
hedge.  A  well-concentrated  fire  cut  them  down  while  so  crowded 
together,  and  their  loss  was  prodigious. 

The  re-occupation  of  the  orchard  occurred  just  about  the  time 
that  D'Erlon's  columns  were  driven  back  from  the  left  of  the 
Charlcroi  road,  and  was  instantly  followed  by  the  retreat  of  the 
French  parties  which  had  penetrated  along  the  lane  on  the  other 
side  of  the  building.  And  now  occurred  a  pause  in  the  musketry 
fire ;  the  French  having  withdrawn  to  repair  their  wreck  ;  while 
the  English  stood  fast  on  the  position  which  they  had  so  nobly 
defended,  and  sent  out  their  light  troops  to  cover  them  in  a  con- 
nected order  as  at  the  first.  But  though  the  musketry  ceased, 
there  was  no  suspension  of  the  cannonade.  On  the  contrary,  the 
latter  seemed  to  increase  in  fury  along  the  whole  extent  of  the 
field,  and  the  gunners  on  both  sides  appearing  to  have  caught  the 
exact  range,  the  carnage  was  fearful.  Nor  was  it  the  front  line 
alone  on  either  side  that  suffered ;  round-shot  striking  the  crest 
of  the  opposite  hills,  bounded  off,  and  fell  into  the  heart  of  col- 
umns which  were  secure  from  a  direct  fire  ;  while  of  the  shells 
thrown,  perhaps  the  larger  portion  told  in  the  ranks  of  the  re- 
serves. Such  a  plunging  fire  is  exceedingly  uncomfortable  even 
to  veterans, — to  the  nerves  of  young  soldiers  it  is  trying  in  the 
extreme ;  yet  they  stood,  upon  the  whole,  marvellously.  Of  the 
Belgians,  both  horse  and  foot,  a  good  many  took  to  flight ;  but 
the  English  and  Germans  kept  their  places  gallantly,  and  the 
French  were  equally  stern. 

The  formation  of  Bachelu's  division  of  Rcille's  corps  on  an 
eminence  half  way  between  the  ridge  of  La  Belle  Alliance  and 
the  commencement  of  the  English  slope  has  been  already  de- 
ecribed.  The  division  in  question  was  pushed  thus  far  in  ad- 


210  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  XXT. 

vance,  partly  that  it  might  support  D'Erlon's  corps  in  the  grand 
attack  on  which  it  had  entered,  partly  that  the  communications 
between  the  right  and  left  wings  of  the  French  army  might  be 
rendered  secure.  A  somewhat  eccentric  movement  on  the  part 
of  this  division  gave  some  variety  to  the  operations  of  the  can- 
nonade. It  was  seen  to  descend  the  hill  altogether ;  and  by  and 
by  the  head  of  a  column  appeared,  pointing  in  the  direction  of 
the  farm  of  La  Haye  Sainte.  Immediately  the  skirmishers  of 
Alton's  division  ran  down  the  slope  to  resist  it,  and  threw  such  a 
fire  into  the  leading  companies  as  caused  them  to  swerve  to  the 
left.  Presently  the  whole  column  fell  into  the  same  line  of 
march  ;  it  moved  along  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  sheltered  from  the 
fire  of  the  British  artillery  till  it  came  within  a  moderate  distance 
of  Hougomont,  where  it  began  to  take  the  ascent.  Its  progress 
had  not  been  unobserved ;  a  German  battery,  under  Capt.  Cleves, 
watched  the  whole  proceeding ;  and  no  sooner  found  a  good  ob- 
ject at  which  to  aim,  than  it  opened  its  fire.  Three  rounds  from 
each  of  these  six  guns  checked  the  further  progress  of  the  col- 
umn, and  though  Bachelu  succeeded  in  restoring  order  and  lead- 
ing his  men  again  to  the  attack,  a  repetition  of  the  same  iron 
shower  dispersed  them  completely.  Ranks  were  broken,  and  a 
cloud  of  fugitives  escaped  over  an  intervening  ridge,  leaving, 
however,  the  lower  slope  of  the  English  height  covered  with  their 
killed  and  wounded. 

For  the  better  part  of  one  hour  subsequently  to  this  repulse, 
the  battle  confined  itself  almost  entirely  to  a  cannonade.  The 
French,  indeed,  threw  shells  in  great  numbers,  particularly  in 
the  direction  of  Hougomont,  which,  together  with  some  hay- 
stacks that  stood  near,  was  soon  on  fire ;  and  the  progress  of  the 
conflagration  was  as  sublime  to  look  at  as  its  effects  upon  the 
garrison  were  disastrous.  It  was  compared  by  those  who  beheld 
it  from  a  distance  to  the  burning  of  St.  Sebastian  ;  by  such  as 
survived  the  feats  of  that  day  it  will  long  be  remembered  for 
the  dreadful  havoc  which  it  occasioned.  Many  wounded  men, 
whom  it  was  found  impossible  to  remove,  and  whose  hurts  were 
BO  severe  as  to  render  them  incapable  of  helping  themselves, 
perished  in  the  conflagration ;  many  more,  whose  cases  were 


CHAP,  xxv.]        SECOND  ATTACK  ON  HOUGOMONT.  211 

equally  desperate,  were  saved  as  by  a  miracle.  The  fire  spread 
to  the  west  end  of  the  chapel,  on  the  floor  of  which,  principally 
near  the  altar,  maimed  men,  French  as  well  as  English,  were  ly- 
ing. The  poor  fellows  saw  the  flames  burst  through ;  they  called 
for  help,  but  none  came,  and  half-stifled  by  the  smoke,  which 
rolled  in  upon  them  in  dense  volumes,  they  gave  themselves  up 
for  lost.  But  by  some  means  or  another,-certainly  through  no 
exertions  among  their  comrades,  who  had  not  the  means  of  work- 
ing effectively  at  hand,  and  were  besides  too  much  occupied  to 
use  them  had  they  been  near,  the  progress  of  the  fire  became  ar- 
rested. The  flames  caught  the  lower  extremities  of  a  crucifix 
which  hung,  the  size  of  life,  above  the  doorway ;  but  they  never 
extended  farther.  Mutilated  the  image  was,  and  still  continues 
to  be,  for  there  it  still  hangs  exactly  as  at  the  close  of  the  strife 
the  English  Guards  left  it:  but  it  was  not  destroyed.  The 
Flemings  said  that  a  miracle  had  been  wrought,  and  for  many  a 
day  the  more  devout  among  them  used  to  accomplish  little  pil- 
grimages to  the  spot  and  offer  up  their  devotions ;  but  however 
this  may  be,  the  fact  is  certain  that  except  upon  the  feet  of  the 
statue  no  impression  was  made.  Grateful  and  comparatively 
happy  men  were  the  wounded  when,  the  smoke  gradually  clear- 
ing away,  they  saw  that  the  danger  was  passed.  They  prayed 
fervently  where  they  lay ;  and  if,  amid  the  excitement  of  after 
times,  the  incident  might  occasionally  be  forgotten,  it  is  but  com- 
mon charity  to  hope  and  to  believe  that  their  forgctfulness  could 
not  be  perpetual. 

The  results  of  the  operations,  as  far  as  they  have  been  hitherto 
described,  were  disastrous  enough  to  the  English — to  the  French 
they  were  frightfully  so.  The  infantry  of  D'Erlon's  and  Reille's 
corps  was  all  but  disorganized.  They  had  both  lost,  in  killed  and 
wounded,  half  their  strength,  and  the  survivors  were  necessarily 
shaken  as  well  in  discipline  as  in  spirit.  Doubtless  it  was  his 
knowledge  of  these  facts  that  induced  Napoleon  to  relieve  them 
by  an  operation  which  cannot  on  any  sound  principle  be  justified. 
He  formed  his  cavalry,  of  which  a  large  portion  had  not  yet  been 
engaged,  into  masses,  and  made  ready  to  send  it  against  the  right 
centre  of  the  English  line.  A  moment's  consideration  seemed 


212  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  XXT. 

however  to  convince  him,  that  till  he  should  be  in  possession  of 
Hoagomont  and  La  Haye  Saint,  cavalry  could  not  act  between 
them.  He  therefore  directed  a  fresh  assault  to  be  made  on  the 
former  post  by  the  divisions  of  Jerome  and  Foy,  while  Gen.  Don- 
zelat  was  ordered,  at  every  cost,  to  gain  possession  of  the  latter. 
But  he  so  arranged  his  plan  of  battle,  that  the  advance  of  the  in- 
fantry should  in  some  sort  be  covered  by  that  of  the  cavalry ;  and 
the  effect  of  the  combined  movement  was  imposing  in  the  extreme. 
The  few  in  that  army  of  raw  English  levies  who  were  accus- 
tomed to  the  French  manner  of  fighting,  knew  that  a  furious  can- 
nonade might  generally  be  regarded  as  a  prelude  to  sharper  work. 
They  therefore  anticipated,  as  soon  as  the  fire  from  the  opposite 
batteries  grew  thicker  and  thicker,  that  more  was  to  follow — and 
they  were  not  deceived.  The  Duke  had  directed  his  infantry  to 
lie  flat  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  while  his  cavalry  stood  dismounted, 
as  much  sheltered  as  was  possible,  behind  the  ridge ;  nevertheless 
round-shot  and  shell  ploughed  great  gaps  in  their  ranks,  and  the 
tumult  was  awful.  Both  infantry  and  cavalry  sustained  it  with 
a  patience  which  only  British  troops  can,  under  like  circumstances, 
display,  and  bore  up  against  the  scarcely  less  trying  effects  of  the 
miserable  .spectacles  which  everywhere  presented  themselves ;  for 
it  is  during  moments  like  these  that  men  have  time  and  opportu- 
nity to  observe  the  havoc  which  war  has  made.  On  the  present 
occasion,  for  example,  all  the  slope  of  their  own  hill,  the  valley  at 
its  foot,  and  the  rising  ground  beyond,  were  studded  and  strewed 
with  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  There,  too,  lay  the  wounded  in  their 
agony,  writhing  and  shrieking  where  none  could  afford  assistance, 
while  multitudes  of  horses,  some  with  broken  limbs,  others  drag- 
ging their  entrails  after  them,  came  back  to  trouble  them.  "  It 
was  not  the  least  disagreeable  attendant  on  our  position,"  writes 
a  private  in  a  dragoon  regiment,  "  that  we  stood  exactly  on  such 
a  spot  as  enabled  us  to  behold  the  last  struggles  of  the  wounded, 
whose  strength  only  sufficed  to  carry  them  a  few  yards  to  the 
rear.  There  was  a  long  sort  of  ditch,  or  drain,  some  way  behind 
us,  toward  which  these  poor  fellows  betook  themselves  by  scores ; 
and  ere  three  houre  were  passed,  it  was  choked  with  the  bodies 
of  those  who  lay  down  there  that  they  might  die.  Then  again, 


CHAP.  xxv.J        SECOND  ATTACK  ON  HOUGOMONT.  213 

the  wounded  horses,  of  which  multitudes  wandered  all  over  the 
field,  troubled  us.  They  would  come  back,  some  with  broken  legs, 
others  trailing  after  them  their  entrails,  which  the  round-shot  had 
knocked  out.  and  forcing  themselves  between  our  files,  seemed  to 
solicit  the  aid  which  no  one  had  time  to  afford."  This  is  a  sad 
but  true  description  of  a  battle  field  during  some  lull  in  the  con- 
test ;  but,  being  general,  it  hardly  tells,  except  upon  the  initiated. 
The  following  anecdote  seems  more  to  the  point,  and  I  therefore 
transcribe  it : — 

The  trooper,  after  stating  how  the  regiment  to  which  he  be- 
longed restrained  a  square  of  Brunswick  infantry  from  wavering, 
and  by  so  doing  saved  it,  goes  on  to  say : — "  Having  effected  this 
object,  we  were  directed  to  fall  back  and  to  dismount,  that  our 
horses  might  in  some  measure  recruit  their  strength.  Many 
wounded  men  passed  us  while  thus  resting ;  but  of  the  case  of 
only  one  I  shall  make  mention,  because  it  struck  me  at  the  time 
as  being  very  remarkable.  An  infantry  soldier  approached,  and 
asked  me  for  a  cup  of  water.  I  saw  that  he  was  wounded,  and 
recollecting  that  a  canteen  of  beer  was  at  my  back,  out  of  which 
I  had  been  too  much  engaged  to  drink  myself,  I  handed  it  to  him, 
and  desired  him  to  quench  his  thirst.  The  poor  fellow  drank, 
thanked  me  heartily,  and  told  me  that  almost  all  his  regiment — 
the  28th — was  destroyed  :  then  lifting  himself  from  my  horse,  on 
which  he  had  been  leaning,  tottered  towards  the  rear.  I  watched 
him,  and  saw  that  he  had  not  gone  twelve  yards  before  ho  fell. 
Almost  immediately  afterwards  his  limbs  gave  a  convulsive 
stretch,  and  he  was  a  corpse.  I  went  up  to'  him  and  saw  where 
the  fatal  ball  had  taken  its  course,  just  above  the  hip-bone ;  yet 
he  seemed  to  die  easily,  and  his  voice,  not  three  minutes  ere  the 
soul  quitted  the  body,  gave  scarcely  the  smallest  sign  of  weakness." 

And  now,  while  the  extreme  right  of  the  Duke's  line  beyond 
Ilougomont,  in  the  direction  of  Braine-le-Lcud,  was  threatened 
by  a  body  of  lancers  from  Fire's  corps,  crowds  of  tirailleurs,  sup- 
ported by  columns  in  their  rear,  inarched  towards  the  burning 
chateau,  and  soon  found  shelter  under  the  wood.  At  the  same 
moment,  Donzclat's  division  pushed  upon  La  Haye  Sainte,  while 
all  the  interval  between  became  filled  with  .such  a  display  of  horse- 


214  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxv. 

men  as  bad  never  on  any  previous  occasion  been  looked  upon  by  the 
most  experienced  soldier  in  the  Allied  lines.  Forty  squadrons,  of 
which  twenty-one  consisted  entirely  of  cuirassiers,  descended  in 
three  lines  from  the  French  heights,  and  at  a  leisurely  pace  crossed 
the  valley,  and  began  to  mount  towards  the  English  position.  It 
was  in  vain  that  the  Allied  artillery  tore  through  their  ranks,  caus- 
ing at  each  discharge  great  gaps  to  show  themselves.  Without  once 
breaking  beyond  a  steady  trot,  these  resolute  horsemen  continued 
to  advance,  their  own  cannon  firing  over  them  with  great  spirit, 
as  long  as  they  could  do  so  without  striking  friends  as  well  as  foes, 
till  arriving  within  forty  yards  of  the  English  guns,  they  received 
a  last  discharge ;  it  was  of  grape  and  cannister,  and  told,  but  it 
could  not  stop  them.  With  a  shout,  wLiek  rent  the  air,  they  put 
their  strong  horses  to  their  speed,  and  in  a  moment  the  whole  of 
the  advanced  batteries  of  the  Allies  were  in  their  possession.  It 
had  been  ordered  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  that  his  artillery- 
men should  stand  to  their  guns  to  the  latest  moment,  and  then, 
leaving  them  where  they  were,  that  they  should  run  for  shelter 
behind  the  squares ;  for  every  British  and  German  battalion  was 
by  this  time  in  square,  and  the  squares  were  so  distributed  along 
the  crest  of  the  glacis  as  mutually  to  support  one  another  by  cov- 
ering all  the  intervals  with  a  cross-fire.  I  have  already  told  how 
a  young  battalion  of  Brunswickers  faltered,  and  how  the  coming 
up  of  a  regiment  of  British  cavalry  in  its  rear  restored  it  to  order. 
Except  in  this  instance,  there  was  no  wavering  from  one  extremity 
of  the  line  to  the  other ;  and  as  the  batteries  on  both  sides  had 
become  suddenly  mute,  and  the  British  infantry,  as  is  their  wont, 
neither  spoke  nor  shouted,  a  silence  more  awful  than  the  roar  of 
battle  itself  prevailed  for  a  moment — but  it  was  only  for  a  mo- 
ment. The  French  cavalry,  seeing  the  calm  attitude  of  an  enemy 
whom  they  had  regarded  as  entirely  overthrown,  paused  in  mid 
career.  The  squares  looked  very  formidable,  with  front  ranks 
kneeling,  and  the  arms  of  the  ranks  immediately  in  the  rear  lev- 
elled to  a  charging  attitude.  Nevertheless,  the  curiassicrs  would 
not  shrink  from  the  trial.  Once  again  the  cry  arose,  "  Vive  1'Ern- 
pereur !"  and  with  the  noise  of  thunder  they  rushed  on. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  the 


JHAP.  xxv.J    ADVANCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  CAVALRY.  215 

extraordinary  scene  that  followed.  The  horsemen  dashed  wildly 
towards  the  squares ;  yet  they  slackened  instead  of  accelerating 
their  pace  as  they  approached  each  of  them,  and  at  last  fell  into 
a  walk.  Neither  did  they  in  any  instance  dash  themselves  against 
the  bayonets,  but  no  sooner  receive:!  a  fire,  which  in  the  first  in- 
stance at  least  was  delivered  hurriedly,  and  with  imperfect  aim, 
than  they  broke  off  from  the  centre  by  troops  and  squadrons, 
and  swept  by.  Thus  passed  the  whole  line  of  cuirassiers,  fairly 
penetrating  beyond  the  position  of  the  British  squares,  and  sec- 
ing  before  them  masses,  both  of  horse  and  foot,  which  had  not 
yet  been  brought  into  action;  while  the  second  and  even  the 
third  lines,  the  former  consisting  of  lancers,  the  latter  of  chas- 
seurs, plunged  headlong  in  the  same  course,  and  closely  imitated 
the  manoeuvre.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  British  infantry 
became  enveloped,  and  in  a  great  degree  hidden,  by  the  enemy, 
who  made,  however,  no  impression  upon  then>>  and  on  whom  the 
file-firing,  though  brisk  and  well  sustained,  told  with  far  less  ef- 
fect than  they  who  witnessed  and  directed  it  could  have  pre- 
viously imagined.  But  the  British  infantry  was  not  left  long  to 
sustain  the  combat  single-handed.  Lord  Uxbridgc  gathered  to 
gcther  as  many  squadrons  as  the  course  of  the  battle  had  left 
available,  and  launched  them  against  the  assailants.  They  did 
their  duty  well,  especially  the  remains  of  the  heavy  brigades  ; 
and  having  the  advantage  of  being  in  good  order,  they  carried 
for  a  while  all  before  them.  Back  over  the  declivity  the  French 
horsemen  were  borne — cuirassiers,  lancers,  chasseurs,  all  wcro 
mingled  together,  while  Uxbridge  with  his  masses  hung  upon 
their  rear  and  charged  them  home ;  but  the  pursuers  were  too 
few  in  number  to  retain  the  superiority  after  success  had  deranged 
their  own  ranks.  The  enemy  rallied  under  the  fire  of  their  guns, 
which  opened  as  soon  as  the  flight  of  the  horsemen  became  visi- 
lile,  and  assuming  the  offensive,  drove  back  the  English  in  their 
turn  beyond  the  squares.  And  then  was  played  over  and  over 
again  the  game  of  the  previous  half  hour.  Round  and  round 
these  impenetrable  masses  the  French  horsemen  rode,  individuals 
closing  here  and  there  upon  the  bayonets,  and  cutting  at  tho 


216  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  XXTI. 

men.  But  not  a  square  was  broken  ;  and  a  body  of  cavalry  which, 
had  it  been  wisely  handled,  might  have  come  in  at  the  close  of 
the  day  to  good  purpose,  suffered,  ere  the  proper  time  for  using 
it  had  arrived,  virtual  annihilation. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

Renewed  Attack  of  Cavalry. 

TUB  French  cavalry  was  no  sooner  in  motion  than  the  infantry 
corps  allotted  for  the  attack  of  Hougomont  and  La  Haye-Sainte 
advanced  towards  their  respective  points  of  operation  with  great 
gallantry.  On  the  Hougomont  side,  as  has  already  been  stated, 
no  serious  impression  was  made.  Hepburn,  with  his  battalion 
of  Guards,  covered  the  buildings,  within  which  by  this  time  the 
fire  had  burned  itself  out,  so  that,  except  in  the  orchard  and  by 
the  wood  and  lane  on  the  other  side,  not  even  a  partial  success 
was  achieved ;  and  even  in  this  quarter  the  French  tirailleurs  re- 
tained their  conquests  only  till  the  horsemen  on  the  right  had 
begun  to  give  way.  But  at  La  Haye-Sainte  the  fighting  was 
closer  and  more  desperate,  being  maintained  on  the  side  of  the 
defendants  under  great  disadvantages.  The  situation  and  mili- 
tary capabilities  of  La  Haye-Sainte  have  already  been  described. 
The  house  and  outbuildings  stand  on  the  slope  of  the  hill  about 
a  hundred  yards  from  the  Wavre  road,  and  less  than  half  that 
space  in  advance  of  the  gravel-pit.  The  Charleroi  road  runs  be- 
tween the  farmstead  and  the  sand-pit,  while  the  orchard  stretches 
downwards  to  the  extent  of  perhaps  three  hundred  feet,  the  gar- 
den lying  on  the  Mont  St.  Jean  side,  and  measuring  fifty  or  sixty 
feet  in  extent.  There  is  but  one  entrance  to  the  court-yard  which 
faces  the  Charleroi  road,  and  a  doorway  communicates  between 
the  court  and  the  orchard.  All  on  the  English  right  and  rear 
of  the  pile  was  solid  masonry,  through  which,  by  sonic  grievous 


CHAP,  xxvi.]        RENEWED  ATTACK  OF  CAVALRY.  SJ17 

oversight  or  another,  no  aperture  had  been  broken  ;  and  the  con- 
sequence was,  that  let  the  battle  go  as  it  might,  there  were  no 
means  of  reinforcing  the  garrison  except  from  the  Charleroi  road. 
The  inconveniences  of  this  arrangement  had  already  been  ex- 
perienced during  the  pressure  of  the  great  infantry  attack  with 
which  the  struggle  began.  They  were  still  more  painfully  be- 
cause more  immediately  felt  now  that  masses  of  cavalry  swept 
beyond  the  farm  :  indeed,  if  care  had  not  been  taken  to  strengthen 
the  little  garrison  during  the  lull,  that  interposed  between  the  two 
attacks,  the  place  could  not  have  held  out  many  minutes.  Major 
Baring,  however,  having  been  joined  by  two  companies  of  green 
Germans,  planted  them,  together  with  a  detachment  from  his  own 
battalion,  in  the  garden.  With  the  rest  he  occupied  the  house, 
barn,  stables,  and  other  outbuildings,  and,  abandoning  the  orchard 
as  too  extensive  for  his  force,  prepared  to  make  a  stout  resist- 
ance, and  hoped.to  make  it  an  effectual  one. 

On  came  the  French  cavalry,  sweeping  like  a  stormy  sea  up 
the  face  of  the  hill.  They  soon  passed  Baring  by,  driving  in  the 
skirmishers  which  connected  him  with  the  main  position,  and 
presently  Donzelat's  infantry  moved  towards  him.  They  pre- 
sented a  very  formidable  appearance,  marching  with  a  quick  yet 
steady  pace  along  the  great  road,  and  covering  themselves  as 
usual  with  clouds  of  skirmishers.  It  was  not  long  ere  the  firing 
began.  The  Germans  plied  their  rifles  vigorously  from  loop-holo 
and  window,  and  over  the  copings  of  the  wall,  behind  which  they 
had  erected  with  benches  and  other  articles  of  furniture  a  some- 
what insecure  banquette,  and  the  French  replied  to  them  with 
volleys  of  musketry.  ]Jut  the  latter  soon  closed  upon  the  pile, 
and  made  determined  efforts  to  force  an  entrance  from  the  or- 
chard and  over  the  wall  wherever  it  seemed  to  be  accessible. 
The  main  attack  was  of  course  from  the  Charleroi  road.  The 
assailants  found  there  a  large  doorway  imperfectly  barricaded, 
and  leading  into  one  of  the  barns.  They  forced  it  open,  and 
rushed  in  with  loud  cries  of  "Vive  1'Empereur!" — but  not  a 
man  penetrated  .beyond  the  threshold.  A  score  of  rifles  were 
pointed,  and  a  score  of  bulleti,  delivered  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
feet  by 'steady  marksmen,  caused  a  heap  of  dead  to  block  up  in 

10 


218  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xxvi. 

a  moment  further  ingress  to  the  living.  The  enemy  recoiled, 
and  for  some  minutes  contented  themselves  with  pouring  into 
the  barn  and  through  the  windows  and  loop-holes  a  hurricane 
of  shot. 

Meanwhile  the  cavalry  having  won  and  lost  the  whole  front  of 
the  plateau  on  which  the  first  line  of  the  Allied  army  stood,  came 
galloping  back  in  confusion  ;  officers  calling  to  their  men  to  halt 
and  rally,  men  clamoring  as  if  to  drown  the  voices  of  their  offi- 
cers ;  and  the  English  dragoons  who  hung  upon  their  rear  shout- 
ing, as  is  the  wont  of  their  countrymen  in  general,  when  closing 
or  striving  to  close  with  an  enemy.  Donzelat's  infantry  could 
not  be  expected  to  look  with  indifference  on  such  a  scene.  Hopes 
which  the  rapid  and  apparently  successful  progress  of  their 
mounted  comrades  had  excited,  were  all  dashed  in  a  moment, 
and  a  complete  revulsion  of  feeling  ensued.  Immediately  the 
whole  column  began  to  shake.  The  retreat  commenced,  as  under 
such  circumstances  it  usually  does,  with  the  rear,  who  stole  off, 
and  melted  away  company  by  company.  Presently  the  centre 
and  head  of  the  mass  wheeled  round,  and  last  of  all  the  parties 
which  had  fought  so  bravely  in  the  orchard  and  round  its  walls 
turned  and  fled.  In  five  minutes  the  slope  of  the  English  posi- 
tion was  once  more  cleared,  and  the  battle  resolved  itself  for  the 
third  time  into  a  languid  cannonade. 

During  the  progress  of  these  varied  and  terrible  operations 
the  Duke  of  Wellington  seemed  to  multiply  himself.  He  was 
here  and  there  and  everywhere — arriving  on  each  point  at  the 
precise  instant  when  his  presence  was  most  desired,  and  encour- 
aging the  combatants,  now  by  leading  on  supports,  now  by  the 
utterance  of  a  few  soldier-like  words  in  a  calm  and  cheerful  tone 
of  voice.  "Hard  pounding  this,  gentlemen,"  cried  he,  as  he 
reined  up  his  horse  beside  a  battalion,  through  the  ranks  of  which 
the  enemy's  .shot  was  tearing;  "let's  see  who  will  pound  longest." 
"  They  fire  better  than  they  used  to  do,  I  think,"  was  another  of 
his  quiet  observations,  as  he  stood  near  a  battery  and  observed 
with  what  accuracy  the  guns  from  the  opposite  ridge  had  got  the 
range.  That  he  ever  threw  himself  into  the  heart  of  a  square 
has  not  been  distinctly  proved,  neither  is  it  probable  ;*  for  his 


CHAP,  xxvi.]        RENEWED  ATTACK  OP  CAVALRY.  219 

duties  were  those  of  the  commander  of  a  great  army,  not  of  a 
regimental  officer.  But  this  much  is  certain,  that  from  the  be- 
ginning to  the  end  of  the  battle  he  was  in  the  hottest  of  the  fire 
— exposing  himself  freely  wherever  by  so  doing  there  appeared 
to  be  any  chance  of  accomplishing  good — and  exhibiting,  as 
throughout  life  he  has  always  done,  the  most  perfect  coolness  and 
self-possession.  How  he  escaped  unhurt  is  quite  inexplicable ; 
how  the  horse  which  carried  him  into  the  field  should  have  lived 
to  bring  him  out  again,  is  not  less  surprising.  The  officers  of 
his  staff,  the  orderlies  which  attended  him,  were  killed  or 
wounded  to  a  man.  He  alone  passed  through  the  perils  of  the 
day  unscathed.  , 

The  repulse  of  Ney's  cavalry  and  the  failure  of  the  renewed 
attempts  on  La  Haye  Sainte  and  Hougomont  greatly  distressed 
Napoleon.  He  himself  has  spoken  of  the  former  as  a  false  move- 
ment. He  did  not  intend,  at  this  stage  of  the  battle,  to  expose 
the  flower  of  his  horsemen  to  almost  certain  destruction,  and  laid 
the  blame  of  the  disasters  that  followed  on  Ney's  rashness ;  but 
the  attack  having  been  hazarded,  and  the  troops  employed  being 
in  full  retreat,  and,  as  it  appeared  to  him,  in  imminent  danger,  he 
fult  that  they  must  be  supported,  and  for  this  purpose  directed 
Kcllermann  to  lead  his  corps  of  dragoons,  cuirassiers,  and  carbi- 
neers forward.  At  the  same  time,  and  having  a  similar  object  in 
view,  Ncy  moved  Guyot's  heavy  cavalry  of  the  Guard  to  the  front, 
and  the  whole,  mustering  not  fewer  than  37  squadrons,  formed  in 
rear  of  the  broken  force,  which  had  by  this  time  begun  to  rally. 
It  was  beautiful  to  see  how  these  brave  horsemen  recovered  their 
ranks,  and  prepared  themselves  for  a  renewal  of  the  struggle ;  and 
when  they  became  amalgamated  with  the  fresh  squadrons  on 
which  they,  had  rallied,  the  spectacle  presented  to  the  eyes  of  the 
looker-on  was  imposing  in  the  extreme. 

These  movements  in  the  enemy's  line,  together  with  the  push- 
ing forward  of  fresh  batteries  from  the  reserve,  were  not  lost  upon 
the  Duke  of  Wellington.  He  saw  that  the  storm  was  about  to 
fall  where  it  had  fallen  already ;  and,'  calculating  that  there  could 
not  remain  to  Napoleon  force  enough  to  strike  bimultancously  in 
other  directions,  he  determined  to  strengthen  his  own  centre  by 


220  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxvi. 

contracting  the  extent  of  his  right  wing.  Accordingly  Hill,  who 
up  to  this  moment  had  stood  in  observation  between  Braine-la- 
Leud  and  Merbe-Braiue,  was  directed  to  oblique  towards  his  left, 
which  he  did,  leading  Du  Plat's  infantry  brigade  of  the  King's 
German  Legion  across  the  Nivelles  road,  and  closing  up  Adam 
with  his  British  regiments  immediately  in  support.  At  the  same 
time  Gen.  Chassee  was  directed  to  evacuate  Braine-la-Leud,  and, 
making  a  short  detour  by  Merbe-Braine,  to  supply  the  places  of 
those  troops  in  the  second  line  which  the  Duke  was  about  to  bring 
into  the  first.  But  these  changes  of  position  were  yet  only  in 
progress  when  a  furious  cannonade  from  the  opposite  heights  gave 
,  note  that  the  battle  was  renewed,  and  in  five  minutes  the  whole 
extent  of  the  field  between  the  Charleroi  road  and  Hougoniont 
was  covered  with  well-dressed  lines  of  horsemen. 

To  describe  how  these  gallant  cavaliers  went  on — how  they 
swept  aside  the  skirmishers  that  would  have  impeded  their  pro- 
gress— received  but  heeded  not  a  well-directed  fire  of  artillery — 
and  charged  and  wasted  their  strength  in  the  vain  attempt  to  shake 
the  infantry — would  be  to  tell  over  again  a  tale  which,  having 
been  set  forth  already,  might  weary,  but  could  not  instruct,  in  the 
repetition.  Again  were  the  battalions  on  the  brow  of  the  Allied 
heights  thrown  into  squares  which  checkered  one  with  another. 
Again  the  British  and  German  artillerymen,  after  delivering  their 
last  fire  when  scarce  twenty  yards  of  space  divided  them  from  the 
anemy,  abandoned  their  guns,  in  obedience  to  orders  received,  and 
took  shelter  under  the  bayonets.  Again  the  French  cavalry,  in- 
stead of  charging  home,  separated  from  the  centres  of  squadrons, 
and  galloped  round  the  angles  of  the  squares.  Not  one  shook — 
not  one  wavered.  "  The  first  time  a  body  of  cuirassiers  ap- 
proached the  square  into  which  I  had  ridden,"  writes  -an  engineer 
officer,  "  the  men — all  young  soldiers — seemed  to  be  alarmed. 
They  fired  high,  and  with  little  effect ;  and  in  one  of  the  angles 
there  was  just  as  much  hesitation  as  made  me  feel  exceedingly 
uncomfortable,  but  it  did  not  last  long.  No  actual  dash  was 
made  upon  us.  Now  and  then  an  individual  more  daring  than 
the  rest  would  ride  up  to  the  bayonets,  wave  his  sword  about,  and 
bully,  but  the  mass  held  aloof ;  pulling  up  within  five  or  six  yards 


CHAP.  xxvi.J        RENEWED  ATTACK  OP  CAVALRY.  221 

as  if,  though  afraid  to  go  on,  they  were  ashamed  to  retire.  Cur 
men  soon  discovered  that  they  had  the  best  of  it ;  and  ever  after- 
wards, when  they  heard  the  sound  of  cavalry  approaching,  ap- 
peared to  consider  the  circumstance  as  a  pleasant  change  ;  for  the 
enemy's  guns  suspended  their  fire  regularly  «s  the  horsemen  be- 
gan to  crown  the  ridge,  and  we  suffered  so  much  from  their  artil- 
lery practice,  that  we  were  glad  when  anything  put  a  temporary 
stop  to  it.  As  to  the  squares  themselves,  they  were  as  firm  as 
rocks ;  and  the  jokes  which  the  men  cracked  while  loading  and 
firing  were  very  comical." 

The  disposition  to  treat  these  cavalry  charges  as  subjects  of 
merriment  was  not,  however,  universal  in  the  heterogeneous  army 
of  which  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  at  the  head.  Having  failed 
to  make  any  impression  on  the  front  line,  which  consisted  entirely 
of  British  and  German  troops,  a  large  body  of  the  French  cavalry 
passed  over  the  ridge,  and  sweeping  down  towards  the  valley, 
threatened  the  Dutch-Belgians  in  the  second  line.  Great  was  the 
commotion  in  that  part  of  the  field,  from  which  whole  masses  of 
men  began  to  move  off  without  so  much  as  waiting  for  musket-shot 
or  stroke  of  sabre ;  when  Lord  Uxbridge  again  led  the  wreck  of 
his  cavalry  to  the  rescue,  and  the  same  scenes  which  had  occurred 
in  the  earlier  part  of  the  day  renewed  themselves.  Behind  the 
squares,  and  in  the  intervals  between,  squadrons  charged  each 
other,  became  mingled,  and  drew  off  again ;  till  by  and  by  the 
French,  galled  by  the  incessant  fusillade  to  which  they  were  ex- 
posed, gave  ground.  Presently  they  galloped  to  the  rear,  Som- 
erset's brigade  pursuing  ;  and  Grant's  light  horsemen,  which  had 
come  in  from  the  right,  following  the  example,  in  the  direction 
of  Ilougomont.  But  there  were  infantry  columns  already  on  the 
slope  which  Somerset  could  not  penetrate.  Whereupon  Lord  Ux- 
bridge. observing  that  Tripp's  brigade  of  Dutch-Belgian  carbiniers 
had  as  yet  suffered  nothing,  having  kept  its  place  as  long  as  pos- 
sible in  rear  of  Mont  St.  Jean,  rode  back,  and  placing  himself  at 
its  head,  ordered  a  charge.  The  carbiniers  heard,  but  paid  no 
regard  to  the  command :  they  would  not  budge  a  foot ;  and  though 
Lord  Uxbridge  upbraided  the  brigadier,  and  strove  by  words  and 
gestures  to  awaken  a  right  feeling  among  the  men,  it  was  labor 


232  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxvi. 

lost.  Instead  of  advancing-  to  attack  the  French,  they  went  to 
the  right  about,  and,  galloping  through  the  3rd  hussars  of  the 
King's  German  Legion,  fairly  fled  the  field.  The  3rd  German 
hussars,  weak  in  point  of  numbers,  and  nowise  equal  in  the  weight 
of  their  horses  to  the  enemy,  endeavored  to  effect  what  Tripp's 
carbiniers  had  avoided.  They  charged  the  French  heavy  cavalry 
and  broke  through  them ;  but  being  outflanked,  and  sore  pressed 
on  all  sides,  they  were  forced  to  retreat. 

Seldom  has  battle-field  presented  so  strange  and  anamolous  a 
spectacle  as  that  which  was  offered  at  the  present  crisis  by  the 
arena  whereon  the  armies  of  France  and  England  fought.  To 
all  appearance  the  former  were  masters  of  the  position  of  the  lat- 
ter. Their  cavalry  rode  round  the  English  infantry  at  pleasure, 
and  overawed,  by  strength  of  numbers,  the  Allied  horse.  Scarcely 
an  English  gun  gave  fire.  Most  of  those  in  the  front  line  were 
actually  in  the  enemy's  possession,  the  gunners  having  sought 
shelter  within  or  along  the  faces  of  the  squares  ;  while  the  reserve 
batteries  could  not  come  into  action,  so  completely  were  friends 
and  foes  mingled  together.  Yet  was  the  morale  of  the  English 
army  unbroken.  The  infantry  stood,  wherever  placed,  as  if  rooted 
to  the  ground.  The  artillerymen  knew  that  the  guns  were  safe, 
because  they  had  left  neither  harness  nor  limbers  in  position  ;  and 
it  soon  became  manifest  that  the  clouds  of  cavalry  which  galloped 
round  them  were  not  furnished  with  means  wherewith  they  might 
carry  off  their  prize.  And  if  the  dragoons  held  aloof,  so  to  speak, 
they  did  so  in  good  order,  being  conscious  that  they  were  not  a 
match  for  the  unbroken  strength  of  their  rivals,  yet  anxiously  ex- 
pecting the  moment  to  arrive  when  they  might  meet  them  on 
more  equal  terms.  On  the  other  hand,  a  soldier's  eye  could  not 
fail  to  perceive  that  there  was  no  reality  in  the  apparent  triumph 
Avhich  the  French  arms  had  achieved.  No  infantry  columns  ad- 
vanced to  secure  the  ground  which  the  cavalry  had  won.  No 
batteries  ascended  the  ridge  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  such 
masses  as  might  be  ranged  on  the  opposite  side  of  it.  Hougo- 
mont  on  one  flank,  and  La  Haye  Sainte  on  the  other,  rendered  all 
intervals  between  the  Nivelles  and  the  Charleroi  roads  difficult, 


CHAP,  xxvi.]        RENEWED  ATTACK  OF  CAVALRV.  253 

and  the  attempts  made  to  occupy  both  Lad  failed.  It  was  mani- 
fest, therefore,  to  all  who  were  capable  of  judging  in  such  cases, 
that  the  triumph  of  the  assailants  was  as  remote  as  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  day,  and  that  the  Allies,  though  weakened,  were  still 
in  excellent  plight,  and  not  less  determined  than  ever  to  hold  their 
ground.  Indeed,  every  minute,  as  it  passed,  improved  the  con- 
dition of  the  latter  force  as  much  as  it  disorganized  the  former. 
The  fire  of  the  squares  told  terribly ;  while  some  guns,  which 
crowned  the  heights  above  Hougomont,  played  with  fatal  precision 
among  the  regiments  of  cuirassiers  which  threatened  the  Guards, 
and  kept  Du  Plat's  and  Adam's  brigades  on  the  alert.  At  last  the 
patience  of  the  French  cavalry  seemed  to  fail.  After  flourishing 
about  for  a  time,  and  looking  vainly  for  the  support  which  never 
came,  they  fairly  wheeled  round,  and  went  back,  as  on  a  former 
occasion,  at  speed,  and  in  great  confusion,  down  the  slope  into 
their  own  valley,  and  there  halted. 

It  was  during  this  critical  moment,  when  symptoms  of  waver- 
ing on  the  enemy's  part  showed  themselves,  that  Lord  Uxbridge 
endeavored  to  turn  to  account  some  cavalry  which  had  not  yet 
been  engaged.  The  Cumberland  Hanoverian  Hussars,  a  well- 
mounted  and  handsomely  equipped  regiment,  had  hitherto  stood 
at  a  distance  on  the  Brussels  road,  rather  for  show  than  for  use. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  very  hearty  zeal,  however,  in  its  command- 
ing officer,  Col.  Ilulle,  who,  when  the  ground  to  be  occupied  was 
pointed  out  to  him,  observed  that  "  he  did  not  see  what  good  was 
to  be  served  by  bringing  him  thither ;"  but  that  he  would  not 
abide  where  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  cavalry  had  placed  him, 
nobody  went  so  far  as  to  imagine.  Nevertheless,  Col.  llulle  knew 
better ;  for  scarcely  was  Lord  Uxbridge  gone,  when,  hearing  the 
whistle  of  some  shot  about  his  ears,  he  wheeled  his  regiment  round 
and  began  to  withdraw.  It  was  to  no  purpose  that  Lord  Uxbridgc 
sent  an  aide-de-camp  to  restrain  him  ;  he  paid  no  regard  to  orders, 
and  seemed  deaf  alike  to  remonstrance  and  reproof,  assuring  Capt. 
Seymour  that  he  had  no  confidence  in  his  men,  who  were,  besides, 
owners  of  the  horses  which  they  rode,  and  could  not  afford  to  lose 
them.  Accordingly,  the  whole  regiment  moved  off  at  a  brisk  trot, 


224  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxvn 

though  in  perfect  order,  and  never  drew  bridle  till  they  reached 
Brussels,  where  they  spread  a  report  that  the  Allied  army  was 
destroyed,  and  that  Napoleon  at  the  head  of  his  Guards  was  ad- 
vancing. . 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

Continuance  of  the  Battle — Capture  of  La  Hayc  Saintc. 

MEANWHILE,  upon  the  right  of  the  English  line  there  had  been 
sharp  fighting,  apart  from  the  defence  of  Hougomont.  Du  Plat's 
Brunswickers  being  charged  by  cavalry,  stood,  after  a  little  wa- 
vering, immovable.  They  were  next  assailed  by  a  swarm  of 
tirailleurs  en  pied,  who,  passing  through  the  great  orchard,  and 
crowding  by  its  eastern  boundary,  opened  upon  the  squares  a 
murderous  fire.  It  cut  down  the  gallant  Du  Plat  himself,  who 
fell  mortally  wounded,  the  brigade  losing  at  the  same  time  many 
men  and  some  valuable  officers.  And  while  the  ranks  yet  tottered 
slightly,  because  of  the  gaps  which  were  made  in  them,  a  fresh 
body  of  cuirassiers  came  on.  But  the  approach  of  cavalry,  though 
the  manoeuvre  "was  thrice  repeated,  served  but  to  restore  to  these 
brave  men  their  accustomed  self-confidence.  Not  a  square  was 
broken,  not  a  foot  of  ground  given  up  ;  but  back  behind  the  shel- 
ter of  the  wood  from  which  they  had  emerged,  the  cavalry  were 
time  after  time  driven. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  Adam's  brigade,  consisting  of  the 
71st,  52nd,  and  2nd  battalion  95th  regiments,  with  two  compa- 
nies of  the  3rd  battalion  95th,  began  to  take  a  prominent  part  in 
the  struggle :  they  had  reached  the  reverse  side  of  the  slope  which 
looks  down  upon  Hougomont.  and  were  moving  upwards  to  sup- 
port the  Brunswickers,  when  suddenly  the  crest  of  the  hill  became 
covered  with  French  infantry,  which  poured  upon  the  squares, 
and  the  artillery  stationed  near  them,  a  murderous  fire.  The 


CIIAP.  xxvii.J     MAJOR  EELES— LIEUT.  JOHN  STUART.  225 

English  gunners  fell  fast,  or  retired  upon  the  nearest  infantry ; 
and  for  the  first  time  since  the  battle  began  an  impression  seemed 
on  the  point  of  being  made.  The  Duke  himself  at  this  moment 
rode  through  the  leaden  shower,  and  put  himself  at  the  head  of 
Adam's  men.  The  regiments,  by  his  direction,  formed  lines  four 
deep ;  and  then,  pointing  to  the  enemy  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  he 
said — ''  Drive  these  fellows  off!"  No  further  exhortation  was 
needed.  The  men  raised  a  shout,  and  advanced,  the  52nd,  as 
the  space  narrowed,  falling  so  far  behind  as  to  form  a  support  to 
the  71st  and  95th  ;  and,  gradually  quickening  their  pace  as  they 
neared  the  enemy,  they  fairly  lifted  them,  so  to  speak,  over  the 
hill.  But  it  was  not  intended  that  they  should  accomplish  more ; 
wherefore  Adam,  choosing  a  position  with  his  right  shoulder 
thrown  forward,  in  continuation  of  Maitland's  Guards,  brought 
this  part  of  the  line  into  a  sort  of  curve,  and  rendered  all  further 
attempts  by  the  enemy's  cavalry  to  pierce  it  utterly  fruitless. 

In  a  great  battle  such  as  that  of  which  I  now  write,  oppor- 
tunities for  the  display  of  individual  valor  occur  in  abundance ; 
though  the  feats  of  individuals  are  so  overshadowed  by  the  ope- 
rations of  the  mass,  that,  even  if  observed  at  the  time,  and  spoken 
of  for  a  few  days  afterwards,  they  soon  pass  from  men's  memo- 
ries. It  was  known  and  justly  estimated,  for  example,  at  the 
time,  that  Major  Eeles,  with  his  company  of  the  95th  Rifles,  de- 
stroyed more  of  the  enemy's  cuirassiers  that  day  than  he  could 
number  men  under  his  immediate  command.  In  like  manner  a 
tall,  powerful  Highlander,  Lieut.  John  Stuart,  of  the  same  noble 
corps,  made  himself  conspicuous  by  a  hand-to-hand  encounter, 
which,  had  he  been  less  active  and  resolute,  must  have  proved 
his  last.  During  one  of  those  lulls  which  occur  in  all  general 
actions,  Stuart  and  his  men  lay,  in  skirmishing  order,  behind  a 
hedge.  About  sixty  or  a  hundred  yards  in  front  of  them,  lining 
in  like  manner  a  ditch  or  hollow,  a  body  of  French  tirailleurs 
had  taken  post,  and  each  party  continued  for  a  while  to  watch 
without  molesting  the  other.  At  last  a  French  officer  rose  out  of 
his  own  ditch,  and  either  because  he  really  desired  to  encourage 
his  men,  or  for  the  mere  purpose  of  bravado,  advanced  some  space 
in  their  front,  waving  his  sword.  It  would  have  been  easy  enough 

10* 


i«6  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxvn. 

to  pick  him  off,  for  the  Rifles  needed  no  instruction  as  marksmen 
in  those  days ;  but  Stuart  would  not  permit  that ;  on  the  con- 
trary, his  orders  were — "  Men,  keep  quiet !"  while  he  himself 
sprang  through  the  hedge,  and  ran  to  meet  the  French  officer. 
The  latter  did  not  shun  the  duel.  He,  too.  was  a  tall  and  active- 
looking  man,  and  in  his  rapier  he  had  a  decided  advantage  over 
Stuart,  who  was  armed  with  the  very  crooked  sabre  which  it  was 
the  fashion  in  those  days  for  officers  of  the  Rifle  corps  to  carry. 
The  combatants  met,  and  so  badly  tempered  was  Stuart's  weapon, 
that  at  the  first  pass  it  broke  off,  not  far  from  the  hilt.  The 
Frenchman  saw  his  advantage,  and  prepared  to  use  it.  He  flour, 
ished  his  sword,  as  if  in  defiance,  and  male  a  lunge  at  his  adver- 
sary's body,  which,  however,  the  Highlander  received  in  his  left 
arm,  and  before  a  second  thrust  could  be  administered,  the  two 
men  closed.  It  was  the  struggle  of  a  moment,  and  no  more — 
Stuart  bore  his  enemy  to  the  earth,  and  with  the  broken  piece  of 
his  sabre  slew  him. 

These  exploits  may  be  regarded  as  only  the  by-play  in  the 
great  drama,  of  which  the  action  was  carried  on  by  a  murderous 
cannonade  whereby  every  regiment  in  the  line  suffered,  and  none 
more  so  than  the  71st  and  2nd  battalion  95th.  The  52nd  came 
in  for  its  share  of  loss,  and  all  three,  being  repeatedly  charged 
by  cavalry,  repeatedly  gave  proof  of  their  perfect  discipline  and 
indomitable  courage.  But  the  time  had  come  when  this  manner 
of  battle  was  to  undergo  a  partial  change. 

It  was  by  this  time  clear  to  Napoleon  and  to  the  ablest  of  his 
lieutenants  that  a  battle  of  cavalry  against  infantry  and  artillery 
could  lead  to  no  decisive  results  ;  and  that  if  any  impression  were 
to  be  made  upon  the  English  line,  a  different  course  of  proceed- 
ing must  be  adopted.  Something  like  a  lodgement  must  needs 
be  formed  in  front  of  the  main  position ;  and  this  could  be  done 
only  by  taking  possession  of  one  or  both  of  the  homesteads  which 
acted  as  advanced  posts  on  the  English  right  and  centre.  Now, 
ilougomont  had  been  repeatedly  tried,  but  it  seemed  to  defy  the 
best  endeavors  of  the  assailants.  La  Haye  Sainte  had  likewise; 
maintained  itself  well ;  but  La  Haye  Sainte  was  not  only  <•[' 
smaller  compass  than  Hougomont,  but  the  peculiarities  of  its  po- 


CHAP,  xxvn.]          ATTACK  OP  LA  HAVE  SAINTE.  227 

sition  laid  it  more  open  to  attack  and  rendered  it  much  less  easy 
of  access  to  support  from  the  rear.  Napoleon,  therefore,  deter- 
mined to  make  a  great  effort  in  this  direction,  and  sent  an  aide- 
de-camp  to  Ney  with  orders  to  regulate  the  movement.  The 
Marshal  was  nowise  indisposed  to  do  his  part,  but  he  lacked 
the  means.  His  cavalry,  besides  being  terribly  disorganized, 
could  not  act  against  brick  walls  and  close  fences  ;  and  the  in- 
fantry placed  at  his  disposal  seemed  never  to  have  recovered  the 
effect  of  their  first  terrible  repulse.  Accordingly,  he  dispatched 
the  chief  of  his  staff  to  the  Emperor  with  a  request  that  infantry 
might  be  supplied  him  ;  and  the  answer  returned  bore  strong 
evidence  to  the  unsatisfactory  nature  of  the  turn  which  affairs 
had  taken.  "  Ou  voulez-vous  que  j'en  procure?"  exclaimed  Na- 
poleon, much  excited;  "voulez-vous  que  j'cn  fasse?"  And,  in- 
deed, the  question  was  become  by  this  time  not  an  immatecial 
one ;  for  the  Prussians  were  beginning  to  show  themselves,  like 
a  threatening  cloud,  upon  the  right,  and  to  meet  and  hold  them 
in  check  Napoleon  had  already  put  in  motion  one  whole  corps 
(Lobau's)  of  the  Young  Guard. 

Col.  Heymes  returned  to  Ney  with  tidings  which,  had  the  latter 
been  a  man  of  ordinary  courage  and  energy,  would  have  cruelly 
damped  his  ardor.  The  Emperor  appeared  to  have  lost  his  self- 
command  ;  for  either  there  were  no  reserves  available,  or  he 
seemed  indisposed  to  bring  them  into  action.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances Ney  was  left  without  alternative  except  either  to  use 
as  well  as  he  could  the  division  of  "Donzelat,  or  to  give  up  his  last 
chance  of  victory.  He  preferred  the  former  course.  Donzelat 
was  ordered  to  advance  against  La  Haye-Sainte,  and  to  take  pos- 
session of  it.  He  pushed  forward  his  troops  in  two  heavy  columns, 
covering  his  advance  with  crowds  of  tirailleurs,  who,  driving  in 
the  allied  skirmishers,  soon  interposed  themselves  between  the 
farm  and  the  crest  of  the  position.  Unfortunately  for  Major 
Baring,  his  ammunition,  of  which  he  had  repeatedly  though  vainly 
besought  a  supply,  was  by  this  time  quite  exhausted.  Scarcely 
three  rounds  a  man  remained  in  the  pouches  of  his  followers  ; 
and  though  these  gallant  fellows  nursed  them  with  all  imaginable 
care,  it  was  too  manifest  that  they  would  not  suffice  for  such  an 


228  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxvii. 

emergency  as  that  -which  threatened.  The  furious  cannonade 
with  which  the  enemy  prefaced  their  rush  Baring  resisted  bravely. 
As  fast  as  breaches  were  made  in  the  walls  of  the  garden  and  the 
outhouses,  his  men  piled  up  rubbish  and  furniture  in  the  spaces ; 
and  though  their  shots  came  few  and  far  between,  not  one,  as  soon 
as  the  columns  arrived  within  point  blank  range,  fell  harmless. 
But  it  was  too  unequal  a  contest.  The  barn  and  farm-house  took 
fire.  The  defenders  strove  to  extinguish  the  flames,  pouring 
water  on  them  from  their  camp-kettles  ;  but  they  could  not  main- 
tain themselves  with  their  bayonets  alone  against  the  swarms  by 
which  they  were  assailed.  To  save  the  lives  of  the  remnant, 
Baring  ordered  a  retreat,  which  was  effected  by  twos  and  threes 
into  the  garden.  Not  even  here,  however,  could  a  stand  be  made. 
The  brave  Germans  were  forced  to  flee,  the  enemy  showing  no 
mercy  wherever -they  overtook  them  ;  for  cries  for  quarter  were 
disregarded  at  that  frightful  hour,  and  frightful  atrocities  were 
perpetrated.  One  or  two  specimens  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
French  on  that  occasion  used  their  partial  success  may  not  be  out 
of  place. 

Loath  to  abandon  a  post  which  had  been  intrusted  to  him, 
Baring  clung  to  the  farm-house  of  La  Haye-Sainte  long  after,  in 
the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term,  it  could  be  said  to  be  tenable. 
His  men  had  expended  their  last  cartridge  ;  the  enemy  had  won 
the  great  barn  door,  were  mounted  upon  the  roof  of  the  building, 
had  torn  off  the  tiles,  and  were  firing  down  upon  the  Germans. 
The  cry  of  these  gallant  fellows  was  still  the  same :  "  No  man 
will  desert  you  ;  we  will  fight  and  die  with  you  ;"  and  with  their 
bayonets  they  effectually  resisted  every  endeavor  that  was  made 
to  close.  But  at  last  the  officers,  who  had  behaved  throughout 
with  heroic  courage,  assured  him  that  farther  resistance  was  hope- 
less. Then,  and  only  then,  he  gave  the  order  to  retreat.  There 
was  a  narrow  passage  leading  through  the  house  to  the  garden  in 
the  rear  :  as  the  Germans  fell  back  through  this  the  French  broke 
in  from  the  opposite  side,  and  a  hand-to-hand  struggle  ensued, 
which  cost  some  valuable  lives  on  both  sides.  But  it  was  not  of 
long  duration.  The  enemy's  pouches  were  full,  those  of  the  Ger- 
mans empty  ;  and  the  fire  which  the  former  poured  C!C*WP  ilw»nar- 


CIUP.  xxvii.]         CAPTURE  OF  LA  HAVE  SAINTE.  229 

row  passage  told  awfully.  On  this  occasion  a  young  officer  seeing 
a  French  soldier  level  his  piece  at  a  comrade  Tan  him  through.  He 
himself  was  almost  instantly  disabled  by  a  musket-shot  in  the 
arm,  and,  in  the  hurry  of  his  flight  and  the  confusion  caused  by 
his  wound,  he  rushed  into  a  chamber  and  took  shelter  under  the 
bed.  Two  of  his  men  followed,  with  a  dozen  Frenchmen  at  their 
heels,  who  never  paused  to  offer  quarter.  "  Pas  do  pardon  a  ccs 
coquins  verds,"  shouted  they  ;  and  in  a  moment  the  two  poor  fel- 
lows fell  riddled  with  wounds.  The  young  officer  who  witnessed  all 
this,  happily  escaped  detection  ;  and,  lying  close  for  some  time, 
was  enabled  at  the  end  of  the  day  to  return  to  his  friends. 

Baring  retreated  with  the  remains  of  his  detachment  to  the 
main  position,  and  La  Haye-Sainto  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  The  shouts  with  which  they  proclaimed  their  success 
bore  testimony  to  their  sense  of  its  importance ;  and  forthwith 
renewed  attempts  were  made  to  carry  Hougomont  in  like  manner. 
But  one  after  another  they  failed.  There  the  English  were  im- 
movable. There  was  no  let  or  hindrance  to  the  supply  both  of 
arms  and  ammunition,  as  these  might  be  wanted ;  and  a  well- 
served  artillery  gave  efficient  support  to  the  garrison  of  the 
chateau :  wherefore  the  enemy  died  by  hundreds  as  fast  as  they 
renewed  their  attempts  on  the  place,  without  making  the  slightest 
progress.  Nor  were  the  attempts,  though  resolutely  made,  against 
the  centre  more  prosperous.  They  succeeded,  indeed,  in  driving 
the  rifles  from  the  sand-pit  which  they  had  so  long  occupied. 
They  endeavored  to  shake  Kempt's  brigade  by  a  fire  of  grape, 
which  these  same  rifles  soon  silenced.  They  collected  masses  of 
skirmishers  in  the  orchard  and  garden,  and  sent  them  against 
the  troops  which  guarded  the  Wavre  road,  and  who,  momentarily 
expecting  a  return  of  the  French  cavalry,  still  stood  in  squares. 
Such  a  mode  of  attack  could  not  but  harass,  and  prove  very  de- 
structive to  life ;  for  the  square,  though  an  admirable  formation 
against  horsemen,  is  the  worst  that  can  be  chosen  if  the  battle  be 
against  musketeers.  Wherefore,  the  Prince  of  Orange  getting 
irritated,  rode  up  to  Col.  Ompteda,  and  desired  him  to  deploy  a 
battalion  into  line  and  charge.  Ompteda  ventured  to  remon- 
strate, but  liis  arguments  were  overcome.  He  therefore  deployed 


230  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xxvn 

the  5th  battalion  and  advanced ;  whereupon  the  French  tirail- 
leurs gave  way.  as  he  had  anticipated,  and  took  shelter  in  the 
garden  of  La  Haye  Sainte.  The  line  followed,  and  might  have 
dashed  at  the  fence  had  not  a  body  of  French  cuirassiers  come 
up  at  the  moment.  They  fairly  rolled  the  Germans  up,  and  cut 
the  battalion  to  pieces. 

The  cavalry  attack  which  proved  thus  fatal  to  the  5th  line 
battalion  of  the  King's  German  Legion  was  the  first  of  a  series 
which  Ney  now  launched  in  support  of  his  infantry  in  La  Hayc 
Sainte.  They  were  uninterruptedly  renewed  for  the  full  space 
of  an  hour,  and  though  quite  as  profitless  as  those  which  had  pre- 
ceded them  in  regard  to  any  impression  made  upon  the  squares, 
they  afforded  ample  opportunity  for  the  display  of  gallantry  on 
both  sides.  Moreover,  they  were  supported,  from  time  to  time, 
with  infantry,  which  crept  up  the  slope,  crowned  the  ridge  in 
loose  order,  and  threw  upon  the  lines  and  squares  that  were  be- 
yond it  a  hurricane  of  bullets.  The  latter  fell  in  great  numbers, 
and  it  seemed  well-nigh  as  if  the  spirits  of  the  Germans  were 
becoming  exhausted.  It  was  observed  that  greater  care  was 
taken  to  remove  the  wounded  from  the  field  than  had  been  ex- 
hibited during  any  previous  period  in  the  action,  and  more  than 
one  regiment  complained  that  its  ammunition  was  expended. 
Still  the  strength  of  the  British  infantry  was  unbroken  ;  and  the 
cavalry,  though  much  crippled,  exhibited  no  symptoms  of  uneasi- 
ness. Moreover,  though  Adams's  and  even  Lambert's  brigades 
had  come  into  action,  there  was  still  a  reserve,  stronger  perhaps 
in  numbers  than  in  the  composition  of  the  greater  portion  of  it, 
which  had  not  yet  fired  a  shot.  It  was  manifest,  therefore,  to 
both  parties  that  the  victory,  on  which  Napoleon  early  in  the 
morning  had  counted,  was  yet  to  be  won  ;  and  far  as  the  day  had 
advanced,  for  it  was  by  this  time  close  upon  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  appearances  denoted  that  he  had  not  altogether  de- 
spaired of  achieving  it. 


CHAP,  xxviii.]         ADVANCE  OF  THE  PRUSSIANS.  231 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

Advance  of  the  Prussians — Attack  from  La  Haye-Sainte. 

ALL  this  while  the  advanced  corps  of  the  Prussian  army  under 
Billow  was  struggling  to  reach  the  scene  of  action  against  such 
difficulties  as  would  have  tried  the  endurance  of  any  troops  in  the 
world ;  they  wOu  their  way  slowly  and  with  weary  steps  from 
Wavre  across  the  defile  of  St.  Lambert,  and  plunged  by  and  by 
into  the  still  more  impracticable  defile  of  the  Lasne.  Here  every 
step  which  the  men  took  sank  them  to  their  ankles  ;  the  horses 
floundered ;  guns  and  carriages  stuck  fast,  and  only  by  manual 
labor  could  the  latter  be  extricated :  for  the  soil  of  this  valley 
being  rich  and  fat,  the  heavy  rains  of  the  17th  had  converted  it 
into  a  swamp  ;  and  as  the  roads  which  traversed  it  were  without 
metal  or  other  means  of  hardening,  they,  too,  became,  after  a  little 
use,  well  nigh  impracticable.  "  We  cannot  get  on,"  exclaimed 
the  soldiers,  worn  out  with  continued  exertions.  "  We  must  get 
on,"  was  Blucher's  answer,  as  he  rode  from  battalion  to  battalion 
and  from  battery  to  battery,  speaking  words  of  encouragement  to 
all.  "  The  English  expect  us ;  I  have  told  Wellington  that  we 
will  be  up ;  and  we  must  get  up,  be  the  consequences  what  they 
may."  The  Prussians  are  a  gallant  people,  and  their  courage 
that  day  was  only  to  be  equalled  by  their  patience.  They  toiled 
on ;  and  at  last,  between  four  and  five  in  the  afternoon,  the  lead- 
ing squadron  of  their  cavalry,  belonging  to  the  2nd  regiment  of 
Silcsian  hussars,  passed  through  the  wood  of  Wavre  to  a  point 
near  Frischermont,  whence  all  the  positions  and  movements  of 
the  two  great  armies  then  engaged  became  visible  to  them. 

The  detacnment  in  question  was  commanded  by  Major  Von 
Lutow,  a  soldier  well  trained  and  of  considerable  experience  in 
the  field.  ITe  *aw  in  a  moment  that  the  enemy  had  committed  :i 


'23-2  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxvni. 

grievous  error  in  leaving  the  wood  of  Paris  unoccupied,  and  rode 
back  to  communicate  the  fact  to  his  superiors.  He  met  by  the 
way  Gen.  Von  Grollman,  who  received  his  report  and  understood 
it ;  and  immediately  the  entire  regiment  of  Silesian  hussars,  with 
two  battalions  of  infantry,  were  pushed  forward  ;  the  latter  threw 
themselves  into  the  wood,  the  former  drew  up  in  rear  of  it,  and 
all  remained  still,  though  much  on  the  alert,  waiting  the  arrival 
of  fresh  reinforcements. 

Time  passed ;  and  each  new  hour  and  moment  increased  the 
toil  of -the  Prussians  in  their  march.  The  defile  of  St.  Lambert 
became  continually  more  difficult  of  passage  ;  so  that  five  o'clock 
had  struck  before  two  additional  brigades  of  infantry,  with  cay 
airy  and  guns,  reached  the  high  ground  that  intervenes  between 
the  Lasne  and  Smohain,  These  were  instantly  formed  ;  the  ar- 
tillery in  the  road,  the  infantry  in  the  wood  to  the  right  and  left 
of  it,  and  the  cavalry  in  the  rear ;  and  a  brief  halt  took  place. 
But  Bliicher,  who  had  intended  to  await  the  coming  up  of  more 
troops,  became  impatient  at  the  sound  of  the  cannonade  in  front 
of  Waterloo  ;  and  noticing  a  stir  among  the  enemy's  reserves  in 
rear  of  La  Belle  Alliance,  determined  to  commence  operations  at 
once.  With  this  view  he  debouched  from  the  wood,  and  opened 
a  cannonade  upon  Domont's  cavalry,  which  preserved  its  ill-chosen 
and  useless  line  where  some  hours  previously  it  had  halted.  Do- 
mont  pushed  forward,  and  an  affair  of  cavalry  occurred,  in  which 
the  French  had  rather  the  advantage ;  but  the  fire  of  the  Prus- 
sian guns  checked  the  pursuit,  and  Domont  fell  back. 

Blucher's  attack  could  not  fail  to  be  feeble  at  this  time,  because 
the  force  at  his  disposal  was  very  small,  but  it  had  the  effect  of 
alarming  Napoleon,  who  judged  that  there  must  be  strong  sup- 
ports behind  ;  and  therefore  detached  Gen.  Lobau,  with  the  6th 
corps,  to  resist  it :  the  latter  executed  this  movement  with  alacrity 
and  precision,  while  the  ground  which  he  vacated  was  filled  up 
with  regiments  of  the  Old  and  Middle  Guard  ;  and  now  began  an 
affair  which,  waxing  continually  more  fierce,  ended  at  last  in  a 
desperate  struggle.  To  the  Prussians  engaged  reinforcements 
arrived  continually.  At  five  o'clock,  they  fought  with  three  bri- 
gades of  infantry,  two  regiments  of  cavalry,  and  a  few  guns  ;  a* 


CHAP,  xxviii.]    NEY'S  ATTACK  ON  LA  HAYE-SAINTE.  233 

six,  they  had  brought  thirty  battalions,  twenty-seven  squadrons, 
and  sixty-four  guns  into  action.  It  was  in  vain  that  Lobau  en- 
deavored to  withstand  them  with  sixteen  battalions,  eighteen 
squadrons,  and  forty-two  guns.  He  was  forced  to  give  ground ; 
and  abandoning  Planchenoit.  against  which  their  principal  force 
seemed  to  be  directed,  he  drew  off  in  good  order  towards  the 
Charleroi  road.  . 

It  was  at  this  critical  moment,  when  his  rear  and  right  were 
threatened,  and  the  enemy  in  his  front  stood  immovable,  that 
Napoleon  received  Ney's  urgent  call  for  a  supply  of  fresh  infantry. 
He  had  none  to  spare  ;  he  was  even  forced  to  weaken  the  reserve 
column  which  had  heretofore  been  preserved  intact,  in  order  to 
check  the  advance  of  the  Prussians  ; — and  to  detach  Gen.  Du- 
hcsme,  with  two  divisions  of  the  Young  Guard.  His  answer  to 
the  Marshal  was,  therefore,  such  as  elsewhere  has  been  described 
— the  reverse  of  courteous  ;  but  it  was  forced  from  him.  Indeed, 
his  whole  bearing  at  this  moment  became  that  of  a  man  who  felt 
his  destiny  hinge  upon  the  turn  of  a  die.  He  could  not  retreat, 
as  other  men  in  his  situation  might  have  done  ;  reverse  and  defeat 
would  be  alike  fatal  to  his  political  existence  ;  and  hence  there 
seemed  to  remain  no  alternative  between  complete  success  and 
entire  destruction.  Accordingly,  while  Duhcsme  marched  upon 
Planchenoit,  and  Lobau  resumed  the  offensive  between  that  post 
and  Smohain,  he  himself  watched  with  intense  anxiety  the  pro- 
gress of  Ney's  attack.  It  seemed  for  a  moment  to  go  well.  La 
Haye-Saintc  was  taken ;  he  saw  his  infantry  clustering  up  the  slope, 
and  his  cavalry  sweep  once  more  over  the  ridge  ;  and  he  turned 
his  eyes  next  in  the  direction  of  Planchenoit,  where  the  cannon- 
ade grew  momentarily  more  severe.  He  observed  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Prussian  columns  which  were  destined  for  the  attack. 
He  saw  Duhesme  throw  himself  into  the  village  ;  and  by  and  by 
a  warm  skirmishing  fire  told  that  the  action  was  begun  :  it  was  a 
fierce  assault,  and  it  was  met  as  bravely  as  it  was  given.  The 
iana  forced  their  way  into  the  churchyard,  and  lined  its 
walls  ;  they  were  swept  from  the  roofs  and  windows  of  the  houses 
which  overlooked  it,  and,  after  sustaining  a  heavy  loss,  were  driven 
out  again.  Napoleon  observed  this,  and  noticed,  at  the  same 


234  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxvin. 

time,  that  the  wood  of  Paris  glittered  with  bayonets,  and  that 
along  the  Wavre  road,  in  the  direction  of  Smohain,  and  along  the 
rear  of  the  allied  posts  at  Papelotte,  fresh  columns  were  ad- 
vancing. He  could  not  hide  from  himself  the  truth — that  the 
next  hour  must  decide  his  fate ;  and  he  resolved  to  hazard  all 
upon  one  cast,  and  to  overthrow  the  English — or  perish. 

With  this  view  he  directed  Gen.  Drouet  to  collect  as  many 
battalions  of  the  Guard  as  still  remained  in  reserve,  and  to  lead 
them  forward  from  the  position  which  they  had  hitherto  main- 
tained, and  form  them  in  front  of  La  Belle  Alliance.  D'Erlon 
and  Reille  were,  at  the  same  time,  instructed  to  gather  together 
the  remains  of  their  respective  corps,  and  to  dispose  them  for  a 
movement  in  advance  simultaneous  with  that  which  the  Guard 
was  about  to  hazard.  They  were  to  fall  upon  the  centre  of  the 
English  line,  making  good  use  of  the  farm  of  La  Haye-Sainte, 
and  to  pass  column  after  column  from  behind  the  shelter  which  it 
afforded  till  the  physical  powers  of  the  defendants  should  be  worn 
out.  The  Guard,  meanwhile,  was  to  pass  Hougomont,  and  to  fall 
upon  the  left  centre  of  the  main  English  position  ;  while  the 
cavalry — all  such,  at  least,  as  remained — should  move  en  masse  in 
support,  to  be  ready  to  improve  the  victory  when  won.  As  a 
necessary  prelude  to  this  closer  fighting,  every  gun  and  howitzer 
which  could  be  brought  to  bear  opened  its  fire,  and  tremendous  as 
had  often  before  been  the  shower  of  shot  and  shell  which  the.y 
were  called  upon  to  sustain,  it  seemed  to  the  British  leader  and 
his  noble  troops  that  the  present  exceeded  them  all. 

Not  unobserved  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  were  these  prep- 
arations made.  He  had  long  expected  some  such  crisis  to 
arrive,  and  on  looking  round  upon  the  gaps  which  were  already 
made  in  his  line,  and  knowing  how  severely  the  endurance  of  the 
survivors  had  been  tried,  it  is  little  to  be  wondered  at  if  he  con- 
templated the  coming  struggle  with  some  anxiety.  Often,  and 
with  an  eager  glance,  had  his  eyes  been  turned  of  late  to  the 
quarter  whence  he  expected  the  Prussians.  He  had  seen  their 
cavalry  patrols  early  in  the  day,  and  not  unnaturally  reckoned  on 
the  speedy  coming  up  of  the  main  body  ;  and  when  hour  after 
hour  rolled  on  without  bringing  the  co-operation  which  had  been 


CHAP,  xxvm.]  ARRIVAL  OP  BLUCHER.  235 

promised,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  should  have  been  anxious — 
if  not  uneasy.  At  the  same  time  the  Duke  had  perfect  confi- 
dence in  himself  and  in  his  army.  It  had  held  its  ground  here- 
tofore nobly — he  did  not  doubt  that  it  would  hold  its  ground 
still ;  and  he  knew  that  in  the  event  of  the  worst,  there  was  Col- 
ville's  division,  with  the  Prince  Frederick  of  Holland's  Dutch 
troops,  at  Hal ;  which,  though  they  might  not  be  able  to  take 
part  in  the  battle  of  the  18th,  would  come  in  good  time  to  share 
his  fortunes  of  the  19th,  whatever  these  might  be.  Still,  the 
looks  which  he  cast  towards  Sinohain  and  along  the  Wavre  road 
were  many  and  eager  ;  and  he  finally  dispatched  Col.  Fremantle, 
his  aid-de-camp,  to  hasten  the  advance  of  such  corps  as  he  might 
encounter  on  that  route,  and  to  direct  them  towards  the  points  in 
his  own  line  where  he  felt  himself  to  be  weakest. 

The  cannonade  with  which  Blucher  announced  his  arrival  at 
the  outskirts  of  the  wood  of  Paris,  was  heard  at  the  English  head- 
quarters as  well  as  at  the  French.  How  it  affected  Napoleon  has 
already  been  explained.  On  the  Duke  it  operated  only  thus  far 
— that  it  caused  him  to  turn  his  glass  in  the  direction  of  Planche- 
noit,  which  is,  however,  so  completely  hidden  from  view  when 
crossing  the  heights  of  Mont.  St.  Jean,  that  only  the  spire  of  the 
village  church  can  be  discerned.  The  Duke  gazed,  and  soon  saw 
the  uprising  of  smoke  over  the  trees.  Had  the  roar  of  artillery 
closer  at  hand  been  less  incessant,  he  might  have  been  able,  like- 
wise, to  detect  the  fitful  progress  of  the  battle ;  but  under  existing 
circumstances  the  utmost  which  he  could  discern  was  this  :  that 
with  a  greater  or  a  lesser  force  the  Prussian  leader  was  coming 
into  action.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  eren  this  remote  vision 
of  help  was  without  its  effect.  He  saw  that  Blucher  was  true  to 
his  word.  His  troops  beheld  nothing  except  the  formidable  out- 
line of  the  masses  which  were  collected  to  assault  them,  and  the 
incessant  flash  of  the  innumerable  guns  which  sent  death  contin- 
ually among  their  ranks.  Not  a  man's  heart,  however,  failed  him. 
Regiments  stood  to  be  mowed  down  like  grass  before  the  reaper. 
Their  commanders  scut  frequent  messages  to  their  chief,  begging 
that  reinforcements  might  be  furnished,  and  representing  that 
they  were  cut  to  pieces.  But  when  the  answer  was,  "  There  aro 


i>36          STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xxvni. 

no  reinforcements  to  send  you — you  must  hold  out,  and  all  will 
be  well,"  to  a  man  they  obeyed,  and  faced  death  as  became  them  ; 
and  finally,  when  the  Duke  himself  rods  along  the  line,  encour- 
aging his  diminished  battalions,  and  addressing  some  short,  ex- 
pressive, and  appropriate  words  to  each,  the  enthusiasm  of  all  who 
heard  was  raised  to  the  highest  pitch.  Destroyed  they  might  be, 
but  to  break  through  them  was  impossible  ;  and  the  Duke  under- 
standing this  fully,  never  lost  for  one  moment  his  calmness  and 
self-possession. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  side  of  the  French,  preparations  for  the  final 
and  the  heaviest  blow  which  had  yet  been  struck  were  in  progress. 
Napoleon  determined  that  the  Guard  should  advance  in  two  col- 
umns, four  battalions  composing  each,  and  two  being  kept  as  a 
reserve.  One  was  to  bear  upon  the  centre  of  the  English  right ; 
the  other  was  to  move  somewhat  in  support,  though  nearer  to 
Hougomont,  and  therefore  more  to  the  French  left.  The  interval 
between  these  masses,  as  well  as  that.which  divided  the  remains 
of  Reille's  from  D'Erlon's  corps,  was  to  be  filled  up  with  cavalry, 
whose  business  it  should  be  to  sustain  the  infantry  when  over- 
matched, and  to  make  the  most  of  whatever  advantages  they 
should  succeed  in  achieving.  At  the  same  time,  or  rather  in  an- 
ticipation of  these  movements,  Donzelat's  division,  which  had 
gathered  in  and  around  La  Haye-Sainte,  was  to  dash  forward. 
If  he  could  but  pierce  one  section  of  the  English  line,  Napoleon 
flattered  himself  that  the  separated  portions  would  soon  give  way  ; 
and  he  hoped,  by  constant  attacks  upon  the  centre,  either  to  de- 
stroy the  troops  which  composed  it,  or  to  draw  off  from  the  right 
such  an  accumulation  of  support  as  would  secure  in  that  direction 
an  easy  victory.  His  plan  was  good,  and  his  manner  of  acting 
upon  it  soldier-like  and  skilful.  Let  us  see  how  the  Duke  dis- 
posed the  wreck  of  his  army  to  counteract  it. 

With  the  exception  of  Grant's  brigade  on  the  right,  and  those 
of  Vandeleur  and  Vivian,  which  guarded  the  extreme  left  of  the 
position,  almost  all  the  British  and  German  cavalry  was  by  this 
time  destroyed.  The  household  and  hussar  brigades  could  not 
muster  between  them  two  strong  squadrons ;  and  Arentschildt's 
cavalry  regiments,  as  well  as  those  of  Dornbcrg,  were  not  in  a 


CHIP,  xxviii.]        DISPOSITIONS  OP  THE  ALLIES.  237 

better  plight.  Moreover,  the  infantry,  especially  that  portion  of 
it  which  held  the  ridge  above  La  Haye-Sainte,  was  diminished  to 
a  speck.  Ompteda's  brigade  had  been  cut  to  pieces.  Those  of 
Pack  and  Kempt  were  reduced  to  mere  skeletons  ;  and  Lambert's, 
though  it  had  come  comparatively  late  into  action,  was  severely 
thinned  in  its  numbers.  By  great  good  fortune  the  heads  of  some 
Prussian  regiments  showed  themselves  at  this  critical  juncture 
on  the  Wavre  road,  and  Fremantle,  meeting  them,  requested 
Gen.  Zieten,  their  commander,  to  act  as  the  Duke  had  suggested. 
But  Zieten  did  not  feel  disposed  to  isolate  his  brigade ;  where- 
upon Vivian,  being  aware  that  there  was  a  grievous  want  of  cav- 
alry in  the  centre,  committed  the  protection  of  the  left  of  the  line 
to  the  new  comers,  and  moved  with  his  brigade  in  the  direction 
of  the  Charleroi  road.  He  was  soon  afterwards  followed  by  Van- 
deleur ;  and  the  whole  took  post  in  rear  of  Kruse's  Nassauers, 
who  had  exhibited  much  gallantry  throughout  the  day,  but  were 
by  this  time  so  exhausted  that  serious  apprehensions  began  to  be 
entertained  in  regard  to  their  continued  steadiness. 

Simultaneously  with  this  march  of  cavalry  from  the-  left,  a 
change  of  disposition  was  effected  on  the  right,  whereby  Du  Plat's 
Brunswickcrs  took  ground  in  the  direction  of  La  Hayc-Saiutc, 
and  stationed  themselves  in  continuation  between  the  divisions 
of  Halkett  and  Alten.  Maitland's  and  Adam's  brigades  being 
thus  left  without  support,  there  presently  marched  into  their  rear 
a  Dutch-Belgian  division,  of  which  Gen.  Chassec  was  at  the  head, 
while  Vandeleur's  cavalry,  passing  Vivian's  by,  drew  up  as  a  re- 
serve to  the  whole.  At  the  same  time  every  gun,  which  was  not 
disabled  cither  in  itself  or  by  the  destruction  of  the  artillerymen, 
took  post  to  the  front ;  and  finally  the  orchard  of  Hougomont, 
with  the  woods  and  hollow  ways  that  flanked  it,  were  filled  with 
men. 

These  arrangements  were  yet  in  progress,  when  forth  from  the 
inclosures  of  La  Haye-Sainte  Donzelat's  division  came  pouring. 
It  were  profitless  to  tell  with  what  daring  intrepidity  these  gallant 
fellows  pushed  to  the  very  ridge  of  the  height.  They  advanced 
in  dense  skirmishing  order,  and  kept  down  so  completely  the  fire 
of  the  light  infantry  which  opposed  tliun,  that  several  pieces  of 


<238  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.      [CHAP.  xxix. 

artillery  succeeded  in  getting  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  allied 
line,  and  plied  it  with  grape.  This  terrible  fire  occasioned  great 
havoc,  especially  among  Kielmansegge's  Hanoverians.  Two  bat- 
talion squares  suffered  from  it  the  annihilation  of  two  whole  faces 
respectively ;  while  the  remains  of  Ompteda's  brigade  of  the 
King's  German  Legion  may  be  said  to  have  ceased  to  exist.  No 
wonder  if,  under  such  circumstances,  Kruse's  Brunswickers  wa- 
vered, and  were  restrained  from  breaking  into  a  disorderly  flight 
only  by  the  resistance  which  Vivian's  horsemen  opposed"  to  it. 
But  assistance  came  with  Du  Plat's  Brunswickers,  though  not  till 
the  gallant  Prince  of  Orange  had  rallied  the  Nassau  regiments, 
and  led  them  to  the  charge.  In  this  melee  he  was  himself  se- 
verely wounded  in  the  shoulder,  and  the  troops,  whom  his  example 
and  that  alone  had  animated  to  the  fight,  again  gave  way.  Then 
came  the  Brunswickers  into  the  line.  They  fought  bravely,  but 
were  in  their  turn  overpowered.  The  Duke  himself  rallied  them, 
and  Vivian  with  his  hussars-  kept  them  in  their  places,  and  the 
battle  was  renewed.  It  did  not  long  continue  in  this  direction  ; 
for  Napoleon  had  hazarded  his  last  throw  elsewhere,  and  failed. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

Attack  of  the  Imperial  Guard. 

THE  operations  thus  inadequately  described  were  in  full  prog 
ress,  when  Napoleon,  having  formed  his  Guard  in  two  columns 
and  a  reserve,  took  post  in  front  of  the  farm  of  La  Belle  Alliance, 
and  caused  those  magnificent  battalions  to  file  past.  No  human 
being  ever  knew  better  than  he  how  to  act  a  part.  He  spoke  to 
the  elite  of  his  troops,  many  of  whom  were  gray -haired  men  and 
covered  with  the  scars  of  old  wounds ;  and  reminding  them  of 
former  triumphs,  told  in  few  but  well-chosen  words  how  much 
was  that  day  expected  of  them.  Ney  was  at  their  head,  with 


CHAP,  xxix.]      ATTACK  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  GUARD.  239 

Friant,  Michel,  and  others,  whom  they  both  knew  and  respected ; 
and  these  setting  an  example  of  heroic  fortitude  and  self-devotion, 
the  best  possible  spirit  animated  the  masses.  They  marched  by 
within  a  few  paces  of  the  Emperor :  they  answered  his  appeal 
with  loud  cries, — and  in  due  time  the  face  of  the  slope  was  cov- 
ered with  masses,  which  gradually  diverged,  column  after  column, 
each  into  the  line  of  attack  which  it  was^esigned  that  it  should 
follow. 

While  the  Imperial  Guard  yet  covered  the  ridge  of  La  Belle 
Alliance,  and  for  a  brief  space  after  its  rear  had  passed  down  on 
the  descent,  there  was  a  cessation  in  the  firing  of  the  French  artil- 
lery, which  struck  the  lookers  on  upon  the  opposite  height  with  a 
feeling  of  awe.  It  was  like  the  lull  in  a  storm,  which  speaks  of 
fiercer  blasts  to  come,  when  the  clouds  seem  pausing  only  to  col- 
lect their  strength  ;  and  which  the  mariner  observes  with  in- 
creased anxiety,  being  nowise  deceived  by  it  into  a  forgetfulness 
of  the  true  nature  of  his  position.  In  like  manner  the  British 
troops  and  their  leader  perfectly  understood  that  the  respite  of 
the  moment  would  be  followed  by  a  terrible  denouement.  They 
hastened,  therefore,  to  make  for  the  event  the  best  preparations 
which  circumstances  would  admit  of, — and  left  the  issue  to  a 
higher  power.  Wherever  the  arrangement  could  be  effected  with- 
out inconvenience,  the  Duke  withdrew  his  people  behind  his  own 
ridges,  and  there  caused  them  to  lie  down.  Where  this  appeared 
to  be  impracticable,  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  keep  the  ground 
already  occupied,  and  dare  all  consequences.  Meanwhile  the 
light  infantry  threw  themselves  among  the  woods  of  Hougomont, 
and  behind  the  shelter  of  every  hedge,  and  ditch,  and  hollow, 
that  presented  itself.  The  cavalry  also  shifted  its  ground,  so  as 
to  become  massed  in  the  centre  and  on  the  right  of  the  line — all 
apprehension  in  the  direction  of  Papelotto  and  La  Haye  being 
by  this  time  at  an  end  ;  while  the  artillery  was  distributed  well 
nigh  in  a  semicircle,  of  which  one  apex  rested  on  the  Charleroi 
road  and  the  other  on  Hougomont.  The  following  was,  there- 
fore, the  order  in  which,  at  this  critical  moment,  the  allied  army 
stood  :— 

The  first  line  was  held  on  the  extreme  left  by  Prince  Edward 


340  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     ^CHAP.  xxt*. 

of  Saxe  Weimar's  division.  Upon  him  the  Prussians  touched 
through  Smohain  ;  while  a  portion  of  their  cavalry  was  coming 
rapidly  into  a  second  line,  behind  him,  by  the  Wavre  road.  Best's 
brigade  came  next ;  then  Lambert's  ;  then  Ompteda  and  Kruse  ; 
Halkett  rounded  the  curve ;  then  came  Maitland,  then  Adam  ; 
with  H.  Halkett  and  Du  Plat  touching  the  orchard  of  Hou- 
gomont.  Hougomont  itself  was  filled  with  Byng's  people,  while 
the  ravines  and  difficult  country  beyond  it,  falling  away  in 
the  direction  of  Braine-la-Leud,  were  guarded  by  Brunswickers. 
In  immediate  support  of  these  troops  stood  Kempt's  and  Pack's 
brigades  in  rear  of  Lambert ;  Kielinansegge  covering  Kruse  ;  and 
the  Dutch-Belgian  corps  of  D'Aubrune  behind  Maitland  and  Adam ; 
while  they  in  their  turn  were  observed  and  supported  by  the 
cavalry  ;  the  British  and  German  horse  being  close  to  the  in- 
fantry, the  Dutch-Belgian  considerably  thrown  back  to  the  rear. 
And  all  were  silent  as  the  grave.  Fear  there  was  none.  The 
men  composing  that  front  line  of  battle  knew  no  fear  ;  but  there 
was  a  solemn  and  serious  feeling  that  a  crisis  was  at  hand,  and 
each  braced  up  his  nerves  to  meet  it.  And  they  did  no  more 
than  the  occasion  required. 

The  Imperial  Guard  descended  the  height  of  La  Belle- Alli- 
ance, the  two  columns  into  which  it  had  been  formed  gradually 
diverging.  One  bore  obliquely  to  its  left,  skirted  the  inclosures 
of  Hougomont,  and  advanced  against  the  point  in  the  Allied  line 
which  Adam  held  with  his  brigade.  The  other  directed  its  march 
more  upon  the  centre  of  the  position,  seeking,  as  it  were,  to  break 
the  line  where  Maitland  with  his  Guards  took  it  up.  But  the  two 
movements  were  not  quite  simultaneous.  The  column  on  the 
French  right  got  a  start  of  full  ten  minutes — an  amount  of  time 
»f  which  in  the  progress  of  a  battle  the  importance  is  incalculable. 
Kor  did  either  of  them  undertake  the  sornbat  without  assistance ; 
?n  the  contrary,  every  disposable  man,  both  of  infantry  and 
cavalry,  joined  in  this  attack.  Eastward  of  the  Charleroi  road 
O'Erlon's  corps  pushed  forward  in  echelon  of  columns,  of  which 
that  on  the  left  bore  down  upon  Lambert's  brigade,  while  his  ex- 
treme right  was  engaged  with  the  Prussians.  Westward  of  the 
Bamc  avenue,  Reille  in  like  manner  spread  himself;  some  of  his 


:HAP.  xxix.J      ATTACK  OP  THE  IMPERIAL  GUARD.  241 

battalions  penetrating  into  the  wood  of  Hougomont,  others  pass- 
ing round  it  further  to  the  right,  and  a  third  portion  ascending 
the  slope,  so  as  to  strike  at  the  centre  of  the  English  line.  More- 
over the  whole  of  the  cavalry  rode  forward  in  support,  with  the 
exception  of  the  divisions  for  which  Bulow  had  already  cut  out 
work,  and  a  hundred  pieces  of  cannon  entering  into  battery  on 
the  summit  of  the  nearest  ridge  halted  and  uulimbered.  It  were 
vain  to  attempt  a  description  either  of  the  front  thus  presented 
to  the  English,  or  of  the  strong  moral  effect  necessarily  produced 
upon  them.  They  looked  round,  and  saw  their  own  numbers 
dim/  Mshed  to  a  fraction  :  brigades  had  dwindled  into  battalions, 
battalions  into  companies.  Of  the  heavy  cavalry  scarcely  enough 
remained  to  make,  at  open  order,  the  show  of  a  line  ;  and  as  to 
the  Dutch-Belgians,  sufficient  proof  had  already  been  given  that, 
let  the  cause  be  what  it  might,  they  were  not  to  be  depended  upon. 
At  the  same  time  let  justice  always  be  done  to  the  generals  and 
to  the  majority  of  the  rest  of  the  officers.  No  man's  gallantry 
surpassed  that  day  the  gallantry  of  the  Prince  of  Orange.  Leader 
truer  to  the  cause  which  he  served  than  Chassee — and  others 
whom  it  is  unnecessary  to  name — it  were  vain  to  look  for.  And 
the  Dutch  soldiers  wherever  they  served  alone  were,  on  the  18th 
of  June,  1815,  as  stanch  and  brave  as  they  have  uniformly  proved 
themselves  to  be,  both  as  the  allies  and  the  enemies  of  the  British 
army.  But  their  efficiency  was  marred  through  the  unfortunate 
intermingling  in  their  ranks  of  men  who  had  neither  tastos  nor 
feelings  in  common  with  them  ;  and  the  attempt  to  force  whom 
into  the  heart  of  the  Dutch  nation  was  shown,  within  fifteen  years 
subsequently,  to  have  been  idle  from  the  first.  Still,  even  in  the 
Dutch  regiments,  marred  as  they  were  by  the  intermixture  with 
Belgians,  the  English  that  day  put  no  reliance  ;  and  hence  the 
effect  of  a  glance  round  the  field  was  to  satisfy  every  man  who 
made  it  that  if  they  were  to  escape  defeat,  and  consequent  de- 
struction, they  must  owe  both  safety  and  triumph  to  their  own 
exertions. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  so  long  as  the  Imperial  Guard 
covered  the  crest  and  upper  slope  of  the  heights  of  La  Belle  Al- 
liance, the  French  batteries  remained  quiet :  no  sooner,  however. 

II 


242  S1ORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xxix. 

was  the  rear  column  fully  beneath  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  than 
the  latter  opened  with  a  rapidity,  weight,  and  precision  such  as 
they  had  not  exhibited  during  any  previous  portion  of  the  day. 
Round-shot  and  howitzer-shells  tore  through  the  ranks  of  the  reg- 
iments which  were  visible,  and  struck  down  mounted  men  by 
hundreds.  Even  the  ricochet  of  that  iron  hail  brought  death 
into  masses  which  imagined  jthat  they  were  tolerably  secure  from 
danger,  and  sent  more  than  one  in  full  and  disorderly  flight  along 
the  road  to  Brussels.  Vainly  did  the  English  artillery,  over- 
matched both  in  numbers  and  weight  of  metal,  strive  to  keep 
down  this  storm.  Gun  after  gun  was  struck  and  upset,  horses 
were  killed,  men  destroyed  ;  yet  the  gallant  blue-jackets  kept 
their  ground  as  they  have  always  done,  and  reserved  their  strength 
for  an  occasion  which  drew  rapidly  towards  them.  Down  the 
slope  went  the  leading  column  of  the  Guard,  the  detached  masses 
of  D'Erlon's  corps  operating  an  effective  diversion  in  their  favor. 
Now  they  were  in  the  hollow — now  they  began  to  ascend  the  lower 
wave  of  ground  which  intervenes  between  the  positions  of  the  two 
armies — now  they  crown  this  height,  and  while  their  own  guns 
cease  firing  for  a  space,  those  on  the  external  slope  of  the  English 
position  open  with  terrible  effect.  Now  the  shot  plunged  and 
smashed  among  the  companies  as  they  went  over  that  ridge  !  Now 
one  after  another  their  files  seemed  to  be  wrenched  asunder  by 
the  weight  of  the  salvos  that  greeted  them.  But  they  never 
paused  for  a  moment.  The  survivors  closed  up  into  the  spaces 
which  the  dead  and  wounded  had  left,  and  in  due  time  the  entire 
mass  was  again  under  cover  of  a  valley  ;  then  the  French  batte- 
ries renewed  their  fire,  and  so  fierce  and  incessant  was  it  that  the 
uninitiated  bystander  might  have  been  apt  to  imagine  that  a  de- 
sire to  take  vengeance  on  the  slayers  of  their  countrymen  had 
animated  these  vigorous  cannoneers.  But  it  could  not  last  long. 
By  and  by  the  leading  sections  began  to  breast  the  English  hill. 
In  a  few  minutes  they  were  so  far  advanced  that  their  friends  did 
not  dare  to  fire  over  them,  and  then  feeling,  as  it  were,  their 
hands  freed,  the  English  gunners  once  more  plied'  their  trade. 
It  was  positively  frightful  to  witness  the  havoc  that  was  occasioned 
iu  that  mass,  which  did  not.  however,  slacken  its  pace,  or  lose,  to 


CHAP,  xxix.]      ATTACK  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  GUARD.  243 

• 

all  appearance,  its  enthusiasm.  There  died  Gen.  Michel,  a  brave 
man,  whom  the  soldiers  loved  and  respected  ;  there  fell  Friant, 
sorely  wounded,  and  there  too  the  horse  of  Marshal  Ney,  who 
rode  at  the  head  of  the  column,  being  struck  with  a  cannon-shot, 
rolled  under  his  rider.  Nothing  dismayed,  Ney  extricated  him- 
self from  his  dead  charger,  and  drawing  his  sword  continued  to 
advance  on  foot,  while  a  cloud  of  skirmishers  rushing  forward, 
drove  in  the  light  troops  of  the  English,  in  spite  of  a  stout  resist- 
ance, and  crowned  the  summit. 

Rapidly,  though  at  a  fearful  cost  of  life,  the  column  passed  the 
line  of  fire  along  which  the  English  guns  told,  and  then  they  be- 
came silent.  In  like  manner  there  was  a  complete  cessation  on  the 
side  of  the  enemy — the  sharp,  quick,  and  ceaseles  tiraillade  of  the 
skirmishers  keeping  up  the  game  of  death.  To  be  sure  Hougo- 
mont,  and  the  woods  and  inclosures  about  it  sent  forth  volumes 
of  musketry,  while  at  more  remote  parts  of  the  line,  and  especially 
in  the  direction  of  Planchenoit,  the  cannonade  continued  in  its 
fury.  But  just  where  the  Imperial  Guard  were  moving  there  was 
silence,  except  when  the  shouts  of  the  advancing  veterans  broke 
it.  Just  at  this  moment  the  Duke  rode  up,  and  planted  himself 
beside  a  battery  of  guns  which  stood  on  the  brow  of  the  ridge,  a, 
little  to  the  right  of  the  ground  on  which  Maitland's  brigade  were 
lying.  He  spoke  to  Lieut.  Sharpe,  and  learned  from  him  that 
Capt.  Bolton  having  just  been  killed,  the  guns  were  commanded 
by  the  second-captain,  Napier.  "  Tell  him,"  said  his  Grace,  "  to 
keep  a  look-out  on  his  right,  for  the  French  will  soon  be  with 
him  :"  and  they  were  so  ;  for  scarcely  had  the  message  been  con- 
veyed to  Capt.  Napier,  when  the  bear-skin  caps  of  the  enemy 
began  to  show  themselves  over  the  summit.  A  cloud  of  tirail- 
leurs instantly  opened  upon  the  guns  a  storm  of  shot.  It  was 
answered  by  a  salvo  of  grape  and  canister,  which  cleared  tho 
whole  front  of  the  battery  in  an  instant,  and  forthwith  the  same 
iron  hail  came  pouring  back  into  the  head  of  the  column  which  was 
already  within  fifty  yards  of  their  muzzles.  It  stands  upon  rec- 
ord, that  these  veterans  were  absolutly  astounded  when  they  saw 
before  them  nothing  more  than  six  field-pieces  with  the  gunners 
attached,  and  a  few  mounted  officers  in  their  rear.  They  did  not 


244  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxix. 

know  that  the  Duke  himself  was  one  of  them,  neither  were  they 
prepared  for  the  apparition  which  seemed  the  next  moment  to 
rise  from  the  earth  to  confront  them.  For  then,  whether  by  the 
talismanic  words  which  have  become  a  portion  of  history,  or  by 
some  other  signal,  is  a  matter  of  no  moment,  the  Duke,  and  none 
other,  gave  the  signal  to  Mail-land,  which  the  latter  understood, 
and  promptly  obeyed.  In  a  line  four  deep,  the  brigade  of  Guards 
started  from  the  ground.  They  gazed  only  so  long  upon  their 
enemies  as  to  direct  their  aim,  and  forthwith  threw  in  a  volley, 
of  which,  when  the  smoke  had  cleared  away,  the  effect  was  seen : 
the  column  was  literally  torn  to  pieces.  Some  hundreds  of  dead 
covered  the  plateau.  The  rest  staggering  and  reeling  endeav- 
ored to  deploy,  but  in  vain :  for  while  Napier's  guns  ploughed 
through  their  flanks,  Maitland's  noble  musketeers  cut  them  down 
by  sections.  "  Now's  the  time  !"  shouted  Lord  Saltoun,  simulta- 
neously with  Maitland's  order  to  charge,  and  in  an  instant  the 
masses  were  mingled.  Down  went  the  enemy  headlong.  It  was 
to  no  purpose  that  the  officers  stepped  out,  waving  their  swords, 
and  encouraging  the  men  to  rally.  It  was  equally  in  vain  that 
the  men  themselves  struggled  to  get  into  order,  and  answered  the 
lire  of  their  opponents  with  desultory  discharges.  Time  for  for- 
mation there  was  none  ;  but  broken,  dispersed,  and  for  all  offen- 
sive purposes  utterly  useless,  these — the  very  flower  and  pride  of 
the  French  army — ran  down  the  slope,  with  the  British  Guards 
close  at  their  heels. 

Meanwhile  there  was  close  and  warm  fighting  everywhere  else. 
On  the  left  of  Maitland,  Halkett,  on  whom  the  command  of  Al- 
ton's division  had  devolved,  was  fiercely  engaged  with  Donzelat's 
troops,  whom  he  bore  back  from  the  forward  position  which  they 
had  taken  up,  and  whence  they  might  have  fallen  upon  Maitland 
to  great  advantage.  On  his  right,  also,  there  was  a  fierce  strug- 
gle :  for  the  second  column  of  the  Imperial  Guard  was  in  this 
direction  winning  its  way,  more  slowly  indeed  than  the  force 
which  Maitland  had  overthrown,  but  not  with  a  less  steady  and 
determined  movement.  In  th  is  direction,  too,  clouds  of  skirmishers 
were  thrown  out,  which  entered  into  a  close  and  warm  altercation 
with  the  British  riflemen  and  some  companies  of  the  52nd  which 


CHAP,  xxix.]      ATTACK  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  GUARD.  245 

supported  them.  And  here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  the  English 
artillery  performed  prodigies  of  valor.  So  sure,  so  sustained,  so 
deadly  was  their  fire,  that  the  enemy,  after  passing  the  skirts  of 
the  inclosure,  swerved  considerably  to  the  right,  and  taking  ad- 
vantage of  a  little  hollow,  pushed  under  such  cover  as  it  could 
afford  somewhat  towards  the  flank  of  Maitland's  troops.  This 
false  movement  did  not  escape  Adam,  or  the  officers  who  served 
under  him.  Col.  Colborne  (now  Lord  Seaton),  who  that  day 
commanded  the  52nd,  changed  the  front  of  his  regiment  so  as  to 
bring  its  line  directly  upon  the  flank  of  the  French  column,  and 
paused  only  till  his  brigadier  should  have  time  to  lead  up  the  7 1  st, 
so  as  to  head  it.  Meanwhile,  however,  Maitland  observing  the 
direction  which  this  fresh  attack  had  taken,  ordered  his  men  to 
halt.  They  did  so,  and  without  the  slightest  confusion  ;  turned, 
as  if  by  word  of  command,  ran  back  to  the  ridge  from  which  they 
had  descended  ;  and  at  the  word  "  halt ! — front ! — form  !"  were 
once  more  in  perfect  order.  It  was  not  so  with  the  troops  in  the 
rear.  There  stood  D'Aubrune's  brigade  of  Dutch-Belgians,  out 
of  the  line  of  fire,  hidden  from  the  very  view  of  the  enemy.  They 
had  been  brought  thither,  as  elsewhere  described,  in  order  to 
support  the  weakened  first  line,  but  that  they  had  no  spirit  for 
the  fight  was  now  shown.  They  heard  the  cries  of  "  Vive  1'Em- 
pereur  !" — they  saw  the  English  Guards  come  rushing  back  to 
the  ridge  whence  a  moment  previously  they  had  gone  down  with 
the  step  of  conquerors — and  without  pausing  to  learn  for  what 
purpose  the  retrograde  movement  had  been  made,  they  instantly 
fell  into  confusion.  That  they  did  not  in  a  body  follow  their 
comrades  to  Brussels,  was  owing  to  the  determined  interference 
of  Vandeleur's  cavalry,  which,  closing  the  intervals  of  squadrons, 
would  not  permit  them  to  pass.  But  what  could  be  done  with 
such  troops  ?  What  possible  reliance  was  to  be  placed  upon  them  ? 
Happily  there  was  no  need  to  look  for  succor  in  this  quarter. 
The  52nd  were  on  the  flank  of  the  2nd  column  of  the  Imperial 
Guard.  The  71st  and  95th  headed  it.  The  three  regiments 
poured  such  a  fire  simultaneously  into  the  mass,  that  it  melted 
like  snow  under  the  sunshine.  At  the  same  time  there  was  as 
little  disposition  in  this  quarter  to  abandon  the  field  for  trifles  as 


'246  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxx. 

elsewhere.  Moreover,  a  body  of  cuirassiers,  galloping  up  at  the 
moment,  charged  the  52nd,  which,  without  changing  its  four  deep 
line  formation,  received  and  repelled  the  attack,  while  a  squadron 
of  the  23rd  light  dragoons  galloping  past  completed  the  confusion 
among  these  mailed  horsemen  which  the  musketry  fire  had  cre- 
ated. Then  too,  after  Napier's  guns  had  done  their  work  suffi- 
ciently, Maitland  once  more  descended  from  his  mountain  throne, 
and  the  two  brigades  enveloping  the  devoted  column,  swept  it 
from  the  field.  What  a  scene  ensued !  Chasse's  battalions,  not 
knowing  who  were  beaten  or  who  victorious,  broke  their  ranks  in 
the  rear,  and  fairly  fled — at  least  some  of  them — while  the  Eng- 
lish in  their  front  were  driving  the  enemy  before  them.  And  so 
it  was  everywhere  else :  D'Erlon's  people  could  sustain  the  com- 
bat no  longer ;  Reille  was  shivered,  and  his  order  entirely  lost ; 
indeed,  there  was  wanting  only  a  general  advance  of  the  British 
line  to  complete  the  victory.  It  came  in  good  time. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

Close  of  the  Battle — Bivouac  of  the  British  Army. 

IT  will  be  necessary  for  a  moment  to  look  back  to  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Prussians,  whom  we  left  bringing  their  troops  into 
action  as  rapidly  as  they  could,  and  though  repulsed  in  an  attempt 
to  take  possession  of  Planchenoit,  re-forming  their  masses  and  pre- 
paring again  to  push  them  on  the  village.  It  was  not  exclusively 
in  this  direction,  however,  that  Bliicher  strove  to  bring  support  to 
his  allies.  Along  the  Wavre  road  his  cavalry  was  advancing,  and 
gradually  falling  in  on  the  left  rear  of  Best's  brigade,  while  lower 
down,  through  Smohain  and  La  Ilaye,  other  troops,  some  of  them 
infantry,  showed  themselves.  These  materially  strengthened  the 
extreme  left  of  the  English  line,  and  being  comparatively  fresh, 
soon  entered  int6  the  battle.  In  particular  the  Prussian  artillery 
proved  of  essential  service,  for  the  Hanoverian  batteries  in  this 


SHAP.  xxx.]  CLOSE  OF  THE  BATTLE.  247 

direction  had  expended  their  ammunition,  and,  as  the  infantry 
and  cavalry  came  up,  they  descended  into  the  ravine,  and  pre- 
pared to  move  upon  the  right  of  the  enemy's  line.     Thus,  just  at 
the  moment  when  the  English  had  repelled  the  final  attack  of  the 
Imperial  Guard,  when  D'Erlon's  and  Reille's  corps  were  both 
completely  disorganized,  when  the  French  cavalry,  mowed  down 
by  the  fire  of  infantry  and  cannon,  were  powerless  to  resist  the 
rush  which  Lord  Uxbridge  was  about  to  make  upon  them,  the 
gallant  Prussians  came  into  play,  and  a  defeat,  already  achieved, 
was  converted  into  annihilation  ;  for  all  means  of  rallying  even  a 
rear-guard  ceased.     At  the  same  time  let  it  be  borne  in  mind,  to 
the  honor  of  the  French,  that  on  the  extreme  right  they  still  pre- 
sented a  firm  and  well-arranged  front.     Lobau's  corps  was  unbro- 
ken, and  though  overmatched,  it  faced  Bulow  stoutly.     In  Plan- 
chenoit,  likewise,  the  Young  Guard  maintained  themselves  in  spite 
of  Pirch's  repeated  and  desperate  efforts  to  dislodge  them :  in- 
deed, the  progress  made  in  this  direction  was  very  slow,  for  the 
gallant  assailants  purchased  every  foot  of  ground  at  an  expense  of 
life  which  was-fearful.     Still,  the  knowledge  that  he  was  assailed 
on  the  flank  and  well  nigh  in  the  rear  could  not  fail  of  extinguish- 
ing in  the  mind  of  Napoleon  whatever  ray  of  hope  might  have  yet 
lingered  there.     He  cast  a  hurried  glance  over  the  field  of  battle 
He  saw  his  Guards  coming  back  in  wild  confusion,  and  strewing 
the  earth  with  their  dead.     He  looked  round  for  his  cavalry,  and 
beheld  but  broken  squadrons  fleeing  for  life,  yet  failing  to  secure 
it.     His  guns  were  either  dismounted  or  abandoned  by  their  ar- 
tillerymen, and  there  was  no  reserve  on  which  to  fall  back.     Then 
it  was  that  the  terrible  words  escaped  him,  which  will  be  remem- 
bered and  repeated  as  often  as  the  tale  of  his  overthrow  is  told : 
"  Toute  est  perdue — sauve  qui  peut !"  was  his  last  order,  and  turn- 
ing his  horse's  head,  he  galloped  from  the  field. 

It  was  now  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  or  perhaps  a  little  later. 
The  physical  strength  of  the  combatants  on  both  sides  had  become 
well  nigh  exhausted,  and  on  the  part  of  the  English  there  was  a 
feverish  desire  to  close  with  the  enemy,  and  bring  matters  to  an 
issue.  Up  to  the  present  moment,  however,  the  Duke  had  firmly 
restrained  them.  For  all  purposes  of  defensive  warfare  they  wero 


248  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxx. 

excellent  troops ;  the  same  blood  was  in  their  veins  which  had 
stirred  their  more  veteran  comrades  of  the  Peninsula,  but,  as  has 
elsewhere  been  explained,  four-fifths  of  the  English  regiments 
were  raw  levies — second  battalions  to  manoeuvre  with  which  in 
the  presence  of  a  skilful  enemy  might  have  been  dangerous. 
Steadily  therefore,  and  with  a  wise  caution,  the  Duke  held  them 
in  hand,  giving  positive  orders  to  each  of  his  generals  that  they 
should  not  follow  up  any  temporary  success,  so  as  to  endanger 
the  consistency  of  their  lines,  but  return  after  every  charge  to  the 
crest  of  the  hill,  and  be  content  with  holding  that.  Now,  how- 
ever, the  moment  was  come  for  acting  on  a  different  principle. 
Not  by  Adam  and  Maitland  alone,  but  by  the  brigades  of  Ompteda, 
Pack,  Kempt,  and  Lambert,  the  enemy  had  been  overthrown  with 
prodigious  slaughter,  and  all  equally  panted  to  be  let  loose. 
Moreover,  from  minute  to  minute  the  sound  of  firing  in  the  di- 
rection of  Planchenoit  became  more  audible.  It  was  clear,  there- 
fore, that  even  young  troops  might  be  slipped  in  pursuit  without 
much  hazard  to  their  own  safety,  and  the  Duke  let  his  people  go. 
The  lines  of  infantry  were  simultaneously  formed,  the  cavalry 
mounted  and  rode  on,  and  then  a  cheer  began  on  the  right,  which 
flew  like  electricity  throughout  the  entire  extent  of  the  position. 
Well  was  it  understood,  especially  by  those  who.  on  a  different  soil 
and  under  a  warmer  sun,  had  often  listened  to  similar  music.  The 
whole  line  advanced,  and  scenes  commenced  of  fiery  attack  and 
resolute  defence — of  charging  horsemen  and  infantry  stern,  such 
as  there  is  no  power,  either  in  pen  or  pencil,  adequately  to  de- 
scribe. 

It  might  savor  of  invidiousness  were  I,  in  dealing  with  Ihis  part 
of  my  subject,  to  specify  particular  brigades  or  regiments,  as  if 
they  more  than  others  had  distinguished  themselves.  The  case 
was  not  so.  Every  man  that  day  did  his  duty — making  allow- 
ance, of  course,  for  the  proportion  of  weak  hearts  which  move  in 
the  ranks  of  every  army,  and  seize  the  first  favorable  opportu- 
nity that  presents  itself  of  providing  for  their  own  safety.  And 
probably  it  will  not  be  received  as  a  stain  upon  the  character  of 
British  troops  if  I  venture  to  hazard  a  conjecture,  that  in  the 
army  of  Waterloo  these  were  as  numerous  as  in  any  which  the 


CHAP,  xxx.]  CLOSE  OF  THE  BATTLE.  249 

Duke  of  Wellington  ever  commanded.  Accident,  however,  and 
their  local  situation  in  the  battle  necessarily  bring  some  corps 
more  conspicuously  into  view  than  others,  and  at  this  stage  of  the 
fight  Adam's  infantry,  with  Vivian's  hussars,  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  take  in  some  sort  the  lead.  The  former  followed  up 
their  success  against  the  Imperial  Guard  with  an  impetuosity 
which  nothing  could  resist.  They  left  the  whole  of  their  dis- 
mounted comrades  behind  them,  and  seemed  to  themselves  to  be 
completely  isolated,  when  Vivian's  huzzars,  whom  Lord  Uxbridgc 
had  ordered  on,  swept  past  them.  For  there  was  seen  on  the 
rise  of  the  enemy's  ascent  a  body  of  cavalry  collected,  which 
gathered  strength  from  one  moment  to  another,  and  threatened 
ere  long  to  become  again  formidable..  It  was  of  vital  importance 
that  it  should  be  charged  and  overthrown  ere  time  was  given  to 
render  it  the  nucleus  of  a  strong  rear-guard ;  and  against  it,  by 
the  Duke's  personal  command,  the  hussar  brigade  was  directed. 
Loudly  these  rivals  in  enterprise  and  gallantry  cheered  one  an- 
other as  the  British  horsemen  galloped  past,  and  both  caught  a 
fresh  impulse  from  the  movement. 

Adam's  brigade  moved  steadily  on  ;  Maitland's  marched  in 
support  of  it ;  and  down  from  their  "  mountain  throne"  the  rest 
of  the  infantry  moved  in  succession.  The  cavalry  came  first  into 
play.  It  was  observed,  as  they  pushed  on,  that  at  the  bottom  of 
the  descent  two  squares  stood  in  unbroken  order.  These  were 
the  battalions  of  the  Guard  which  had  been  drawn  up  to  support 
the  advance  of  the  French  columns ;  and,  though  grievously  in- 
commoded by  the  swarms  of  fugitives  which  rushed  down  upon 
them,  they  still  kept  their  ranks.  A  portion  of  the  cavalry 
wheeled  up  and  faced  them.  It  is  a  serious  matter  to  charge  a 
square  on  which  no  impression  has  been  made,  and  probably 
Vivian,  with  all  his  chivalry,  would  have  hesitated  to  try  the  en- 
counter, had  he  not  seen  that  Adam  was  moving  towards  the 
further  face  of  one  of  these  masses  with  the  apparent  design  of 
falling  upon  it.  He  did  not  therefore  hesitate  to  let  loose  a 
squadron  of  the  10th,  which,  headed  by  Major  Howard,  charged 
home,  and  strove,  though  in  vain,  to  penetrate.  The  veterans  of 
the  French  Guard  were  not  to  be  broken.  They  received  the 

11* 


250  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxx. 

hussars  on  their  bayonets,  cut  down  many  with  their  fire,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  retreating  in  good  order,  though  not  without  loss. 
Moreover,  just  at  this  moment  one  battery,  which  had  escaped 
the  general  confusion,  opened  upon  the  flank  of  Adam's  brigade, 
while  another  came  galloping  across  the  front  of  the  18th  Hussars, 
as  if  seeking  some  position  whence  they  in  like  manner  might  en- 

-  filade  the  line  of  advance  which  the  British  troops  had  taken. 

"But  these  latter  were  instantly  charged,  the  gunners  cut  down, 
and  the  pieces  taken  ;  while  the  former  soon  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  52nd  regiment,  which  changed  its  front  for  a  moment,  and 
won  the  trophy. 

Darkness  now  began  to  set  in,  and  the  confusion  in  the  French 
ranks  became  so  great  as  to  involve,  in  some  degree,  the  pursuers 
in  similar  disorder.  The  more  advanced  cavalry  got  so  com- 
pletely intermingled  among  crowds  of  fleeing  men  and  horses, 
that  they  could  neither  extricate  themselves  nor  deal  their  blows 
effectually.  Moreover,  as  night  set  in,  and  the  Prussians  began 
to  arrive  at  the  scene  of  action,  more  than  one  awkward  rencontre 
took  place,  which  was  with  difficulty  stayed.  Nevertheless,  the 
pursuit  was  not  checked.  Down  their  own  slope,  across  the 
valley,  up  the  face  of  the  enemy's  hill,  and  beyond  the  station  of 
La  Belle  Alliance,  the  British  line  marched  triumphant.  They 
literally  walked  over  the  dead  and  dying,  the  numbers  of  which 
they  were  continually  augmenting.  Guns,  tumbrils,  ammunition 
wagons,  drivers — the  whole  materiel,  in  short,  of  the  dissolved 
army,  remained  in  their  possession.  Once  or  twice  some  bat- 
talions endeavored  to  withstand  them,  and  a  particular  corps  of 
':  grenadiers  a  cheval"  contrived,  amid  the  wreck  of  all  around, 
to  retain  their  order.  But  the  battalions  were  charged,  rolled 
up,  and  dissolved  in  succession,  while  the  horsemen  effected  no 
higher  triumph  than  to  quit  the  field  like  soldiers.  Still  the 
battle  raged  at  Planchenoit  and  on  the  left  of  it,  where  Lobau 
and  the  Young  Guard  obstinately  maintained  themselves,  till  the 
tide  of  fugitives  from  the  rear  came  rolling  down  upon  them,  and 
they  too  felt  that  all  was  lost.  Then  came  the  Prussians  pouring 
in.  Then,  too,  the  Duke,  feeling  that  the  victory  was  WC.T 
caused  the  order  for  a  general  halt  to  be  passed  ;  and  regiment 


CHAP.  xxx.J         BIVOUAC  OP  THE  BRITISH  ARMY.  251 

by  regiment  the  weary  but  victorious  English  lay  down  upon  tho 
position  which  they  had  won. 

It  is  well  known  that  throughout  this  magnificent  advance  the 
Duke  was  up  with  the  foremost  of  his  people.  Nothing  stopped 
him — nothing  stood  in  his  way.  He  cheered  on  Adam's  brigade, 
and  halted  beyond  its  front.  He  spoke  to  the  skirmishers,  and 
mingled  with  them ;  till  at  last  one  of  his  staff  ventured  to 
remonstrate  against  the  manner  in  which  he  was  exposing  himself, 
"  You  have  no  business  here,  sir,"  was  the  frank  and  soldier-like 
appeal ;  "  we  are  getting  into  inclosed  ground,  and  your  life  is 
too  valuable  to  be  thrown  away."  "  Never  mind,"  replied  the 
Duke  ;  "  let  them  fire  away.  The  battle's  won  and  my  life  is  of 
no  consequence  now."  And  thus  he  rode  on,  regardless  of  the 
musketry  which  whistled  about  him.  The  fact  is,  that  though  he 
had  put  a  machine  in  motion  which  no  resistance  could  stop,  ho 
was  still  determined  to  superintend  its  working  to  the  last  mo- 
ment; and  the  further  the  night  closed  in,  the  more  determined 
he  was  to  observe  for  himself  whatever  dispositions  the  enemy 
might  have  made.  Accordingly,  keeping  ahead  of  his  own  line,  and 
mingling,  as  has  just  been  stated,  with  the  skirmishers,  he  pushed 
on  till  he  passed  to  a  considerable  distance  beyond  La  Belle  Al- 
liance, and  there  satisfied  himself  that  the  rout  was  complete. 
At  last  he1  reined  up  his  horse,  apd  turned  him  towards  Waterloo. 
He  rode,  at  this  time,  well  nigh  alone.  Almost  every  individual 
of  his  personal  staff  had  fallen,  either  killed  or  wounded.  Col. 
De  Lancey,  Quartermaster-General,  was  mortally  wounded  ;  Ma- 
jor Gen.  Barnes,  Adjutant  General,  was  wounded ;  Lieut.  Col. 
Lord  Fitzroy  Somerset,  Military  Secretary,  had  lost  his  right  arm  ; 
and  of  his  Grace's  Aides-de-camp,  two,  namely,  Lieut.  Col.  the 
Honorable  Alexander  Gordon  and  Lieut.  Col.  Canning,  were  both 
struck  down.  The  latter  died  on  the  spot,  the  former  survived 
his  mortal  hurt  only  long  enough  to  learn  from  the  chief  whom 
he  served  and  dearly  loved,  that  the  battle  was  going  well.  In- 
deed, the  losses  that  day  to  England,  and  to  the  best  of  English 
blood,  were  terrible.  Lord  Uxbridgo,  as  is  well  known,  was  struck 
by  one  of  the  last  sfiots  fired,  and  suffered  amputation  of  the  leg. 
Picton,  the  hero  of  a  .hundred  fights,  was  gone  whither  alone  his 


252  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xxx, 

glory  could  follow  him.  But  it  is  as  useless  to  enumerate  the 
brave  who  purchased  with  their  lives  this  day  a  renown  which  can 
never  perish,  as  it  would  be  idle  to  attempt  a  description  of  the 
feelings  of  the  survivors.  As  to  the  Duke  himself,  he  has  recorded 
the  state  of  his  own  emotions  in  language  of  which  the  touching 
simplicity  cannot  be  surpassed.  "  I  cannot  express  to  you,"  he  says 
in  a  letter  to  Lord  Aberdeen,  written  from  Brussels  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  19th,  "  the  regret  and  sorrow  with  which  I  look  round 
me,  and  contemplate  the  loss  which  I  have  sustained,  particularly 
in  your  brother.  The  glory  resulting  from  such  actions,  so  dearly 
bought,  is  no  consolation  to  me ;  and  I  cannot'  suggest  it  as  any 
to  you  and  to  his  friends."  In  the  same  spirit  runs  the  letter  in 
which  he  informs  the  Duke  of  Beaufort  of  the  fate  of  his  gallant 
brother.  "  You  are  aware,"  he  says,  "  how  useful  he  has  always 
been  to  ine,  and  how  much  I  shall  feel  the  want  of  his  assistance, 
and  what  a  regard  and  affection  I  feel  for  him,  and  you  ffill 
readily  believe  how  much  concerned  I  am  for  his  misfortune.  In- 
deed the  losses  I  have  sustained  have  quite  broken  me  down,  and 
I  have  no  feeling  for  the  advantages  I  have  acquired."  No  won- 
der if  he  who  thus  wrote  after  the  excitement  of  the  battle  was  in 
some  sort  passed  away,  should  have  traversed  the  bloody  field  in 
his  homeward  way  silent  and  sorrowful.  It  has  been  currently 
reported  that  he  could  not  rest»ain  his  tears  while  he*  threaded 
his  way  back  through  the  slain ;  and  the  tale  is  too  honorable  to 
the  heart  of  a  great  man  not  to  deserve  acceptance. 

The  Duke  had  followed  the  flying  enemy  considerably  beyond 
La  Belle  Alliance,  and  was  on  his  way  back  to  Waterloo,  when, 
at  a  place  called  the  Maison  Rouge,  or  Maison  du  Roi,  he  met 
Bliicher.  Many  congratulations  passed  between  the  two  gene- 
rals ;  and  the  latter  having  readily  undertaken  what  the  former 
proposed  to  him,  namely,  that  he  with  his  troops  should  follow  ap 
the  pursuit,  the  former  continued  his  ride  homeward. 

Thus  was  fought,  and  thus  ended,  one  of  the  greatest  battles 
of  modern  times — if  its  results  be  taken  into  account,  perhaps 
the  most  important  battle  of  which  history  makes  mention.  It 
began  amid  a  drizzling  rain,  was  continued  under  a  canopy  of 
heavy  clouds,  was  lighted  up  for  a  few  moments  by  the  rays  of  a 


CHAP,  xxx.]         BIVOUAC  OP  THE  BRITISH  ARMY.  253 

setting  sun,  and  did  not  terminate  till  after  the  moon  had  risen. 
It  was  now  over  ;  and  the  sound  of  firing  died  away  in  the  dis- 
tance as  fugitives  and  pursuers  rolled  onwards.  Not  that  either 
silence,  or  the  unbroken  beauty  of  a  summer's  night,  succeeded. 
Over  Hougomont  there  still  curled  a  lurid  smoke,  which  the  ashes 
of  the  ruined  pile,  as  yet  red  and  fiery,  strongly  colored.  Other 
houses,  which  had  caught  fire  later  in  the  day,  blazed  brightly, 
and  threw  over  the  fields  immediately  contiguous  to  them  a  ter- 
rible shadow.  But  perhaps  the  most  hideous  sight  of  all  was 
that  which  the  moon's  rays  rendered  obscurely  visible.  "  I  shall 
never,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  as  long  as  I  live,  forget  the  adven- 
tures of  that  extraordinary  night."  The  writer,  it  is  worthy  of 
notice,  being  a  private  trooper,  had  gone  forth  with  a  comrade  in 
search  of  plunder  ;  and  he  thus  describes  his  proceedings : — "  In 
the  first  place,  the  ground,  whithersoever  we  went,  was  strewed 
with  the  wreck  of  the  battle.  Arms  of  every  kind,  cuirasses, 
muskets,  cannon,  tumbrils,  and  drums,  which  seemed  innumer- 
able, cumbered  the  very  face  of  the  earth.  Intermingled  with 
these  were  the  carcasses  of  the  slain,  not  lying  about  in  groups  of 
four  or  six,  but  so  wedged  together  that  we  found  it  imposible  in 
many  instances  to  avoid  trampling  them,  where  they  lay,  under 
our  horses'  hoofs  ;  then,  again,  the  knapsacks,  either  cast  loose  or 
still  adhering  to  their  owners,  were  countless.  I  confess  that  we 
opened  many  of  these,  hoping  to  find  in  them  money  or  other 
articles  of  value,  but  not  one  which  I  at  least  examined  contained 
more  than  the  coarse  shirts  and  shoes  that  had  belonged  to  their 
dead  owners,  with  here  and  there  a  little  package  of  tobacco  and 
a  bag  of  salt ;  and,  which  was  worst  of  all,  when  we  dismounted 
to  institute  this  search,  our  spurs  forever  caught  in  the  garments 
of  the  slain,  and  more  than  once  wo  tripped  up  and  fell  over 
them.  It  was  indeed  a  ghastly  spectacle,  which  the  feeble  light 
of  a  young  moon  rendered,  if  possible,  more  hideous  than  it  would 
have  been  if  looked  upon  under  the  full  glory  of  a  meridian  sun  ; 
for  there  is  something  frightful  in  the  association  of  darkness 
with  the  dwelling  of  the  dead ;  and  here  the  dead  lay  so  thick 
and  so  crowded  together,  that  by  and  by  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  wo 
clone  had  survived  to  make  mention  of  their  destiny." 


254  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxx. 

Nor  were  the  sounds  which  greeted  the  ears  of  the  watchful 
that  night  more  exhilarating.  The  wounde.d  lay  in  numbers 
etill  more  innumerable  than  the  dead  ;  and  amid  the  stillness  of 
the  night  their  cries  and  low  moans  became  fearfully  audible- 
Of  the  sufferings  of  one  of  those,  the  gallant  Col.  Ponsonby,  of 
the  12th  Light  Dragoons,  while  yet  the  battle  raged,  and  imme- 
diately subsequent  to  its  termination,  an  account  has  elsewhere 
been  given.  Let  me  not  forget  to  insert  the  conclusion  of  the 
brave  man's  narrative,  because,  as  he  has  himself  well  stated,  it 
tells  no  solitary  tale.  "  The  battle,"  he  says,  after  describing 
how  his  friend  the  tirailleur  officer  parted  from  him,  and  some 
Prussian  cavalry  galloped  over  him,  "  was  now  at  an  end,  or  re- 
moved to  a  distance.  The  shouts,  the  imprecations,  the  outcries 
of  '  Vive  1'Empcreur !'  the  discharge  of  musketry  and  cannon, 
were  over ;  and  the  groans  of  the  wounded  all  around  me  became 
every  instant  more  and  more  audible :  I  thought  the  night  would 
never  end. 

'•  Much  about  this  time  I  found  a  soldier  of  the  Royals  lying 
across  my  legs ;  he  had  probably  crawled  thither  in  his  agony ; 
and  his  weight,  his  convulsive  motions,  and  the  air  issuing  through 
a  wound  in  his  side,  distressed  me  greatly ;  the  last  circumstance 
most  of  all,  as  I  had  a  wound  of  the  same  nature  myself. 

"  It  was  not  a  dark  night,  and  the  Prussians  were  wandering 
about  to  plunder :  the  scene  in  Ferdinand  Count  Fathom  came 
into  my  mind,  though  no  women  appeared.  Several  stragglers 
looked  at  me,  as  they  passed  by,  one  after  another,  and  at  last, 
one  of  them  stopped  to  examine  me.  I  told  him,  as  well  as  I 
could,  for  I  spoke  German  very  imperfectly,  that  I  was  a  British 
officer,  and  had  been  plundered  already  ;  he  did  not  desist,  how- 
ever, and  pulled  me  about  roughly. 

"  An  hour  before  midnight  I  saw  a  man  in  an  English  uniform 
walking  towards  me.  He  was,  I  suspect,  on  the  same  errand, 
and  he  came  and  looked  in  my  face.  I  spoke  instantly,  telling 
him  who  I  was,  and  assuring  him  of  a  reward  if  he  would  remain 
by  me.  He  said  he  belonged  to  the  40th  and  had  missed  his 
regiment:  he  released  me  from  the  dying  soldier,  and,  feeing  un 


CHAP,  xxx.]        BIVOUAC  OP  THE  BRITISH  ARMY.  256 

armed,  took  up  a  sword  from  the  ground,  and  stood  over  me, 
pacing  backwards  and  forwards. 

"  Day  broke  ;  and  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  some  English 
were  seen  at  a  distance,  and  be  ran  to  tbem.  A  messenger 
being  sent  off  to  Hervey,  a  cart  came  for  me,  and  I  was  placed  in 
it.  and  carried  to  the  village  of  Waterloo,  a  mile  and  a  balf  off, 
and  laid  in  the  be;l  from  which,  as  I  understood  aftcrwads,  Gor- 
don had  been  just  carried  out.  I  had  received  seven  wounds  :  a 
surgeon  slept  in  my  room,  and  I  was  saved  by  excessive  bleeding." 

This  is  a  touching  narrative,  but  it  ends  well.  Many  like  it 
could  be  told,  were  the  sufferers  alive  to  tell  them.  But  out  of 
the  thousands  who  passed  that  long,  long  night  in  the  field,  mul- 
titudes saw  no  morrow.  Let  me  not  seek  either  to  disturb  their 
rest,  or  to  harrow  the  feelings,  it  may  be,  of  relatives,  by  speaking 
for  them.  Better  will  it  be  to  draw  a  veil  at  once  over  scenes 
which  strip  war  of  all  its  features  except  those  which,  if  looked  at 
ere  hostilities  begin,  would  go  a  great  way  towards  curing  states- 
men of  their  indifference  to  human  suffering,  and  suggest  some 
other  and  more  Christian  means  than  battle  for  settling  the  quar- 
rels of  nations. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

State  of  Feeling  and  Condition  of  things  in  the  Rear. 

ALL  this  while  the  confusion  which  reigned  in  Brussels,  Ma- 
lines,  Antwerp,  and  the  other  cities  nearest  to  the  seat  of  war 
sets  the  power  of  description  at  defiance.  As  one  body  of  fugi- 
tives after  another  escaped  from  the  battle,  and  the  wounded  and 
their  attendants  began  to  pour  in,  Brussels  became  the  scene  of 
a  consternation  which  was  far  more  wild,  and,  as  it  seemed,  far 
more  reasonable,  than  that  of  the  K'tli  Who  could  doubt  that 
the  day  was  lo?t  when  they  saw  wliole  r«\?imonts  of  IVlirinn  MV- 


25ti  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    ^  HAP.  XIT. 

airy  riding  as  if  for  life,  and  passing  clean  through  the  town  1 
Who  could  refuse  credit  to  the  assertions  of  men  in  British  uni- 
forms, when  they  protested  that  their  comrades  were  either  killed 
or  taken,  and  that  they  alone  had  escaped  the  general  carnage  ? 
Moreover,  such  as  took  courage,  or  had  the  means  of  going  forth 
to  reconnoitre  in  the  direction  of  Waterloo,  encountered  at  every 
step  objects  which  forced  upon  them  the  conviction  that  all  was 
lost.  From  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  till  late  at  night  ever}' 
road,  track,  bridle-path,  and  avenue  that  led  through  the  forest 
of  Soignies  was  crowded.  Wagons  laden  with  baggage  or  stores, 
sumpter-horses,  ammunition-carts,  and  cars  drawn  by  bullocks, 
jammed  and  crushed  one  against  another  in  the  eagerness 
of  their  drivers  to  escape.  Many  broke  down  or  upset,  thus 
blocking  up  the  way  against  the  crowds  that  followed,  while  in 
innumerable  instances  the  drivers  cut  the  anim&ls  loose,  and, 
leaving  the  baggage  to  shift  for  itself,  rode  off.  Then  came 
streams  of  wounded  with  their  attendants,  the  latter  more  nume- 
rous than  the  former,  far  more  numerous  than  was  necessary,  of 
whom  many  dropped  by  the  way-side,  while  others,  retaining  just 
strength  enough  to  get  out  of  the  throng,  crept  into  the  wood  and 
there  sat  down,  some  of  them  never  to  rise  again.  But  the  most 
hideous  crash  of  all  was  when  the  Cumberland  Hussars,  fine-look- 
ing men  and  well-mounted,  came  galloping  down  the  great  avenue 
and  shouting  that  the  French  were  at  their  heels.  No  mercy 
was  shown  by  these  cowards  to  the  helpless  and  the  prostrate  who 
came  in  their  way.  They  rode  over  such  as  lacked  time  or 
strength  to  escape  from  them,  and  cut  at  the  drivers  of  wagons 
who  either  did  not  or  could  not  draw  aside  out  of  their  way.  Nor 
let  the  humiliating  truth  be  concealed.  In  the  noble  army  which 
stopped  that  day  the  torrent  of  violence  which  had  burst  upon 
Europe,  were  more  faint  hearts  than  on  any  previous  occasion  had 
followed  England's  unconquered  general  to  the  field,  and  these — 
officers  as  well  as  privates — swelled  the  tide  which  rolled  in,  nois}T 
and  agitated,  towards  the  capital,  and  would  not  be  stayed. 

The  condition  of  that  town  during  the  night  between  the  16th 
and  17th,  and  the  eagerness  with  which  both  strangers  and  in- 
habitants hastened  during  the  course  of  the  latter  day  to  escape 


CHAP.  xxxi.J  BRUSSELS  ON  THE  18m  257 

from  it,  have  elsewhere  been  described.  As  the  evening  of  the 
17th  drew  on,  and  more  certain  intelligence  from  the  army  ar- 
rived, the  panic  moderated  itself  a  little.  They  who  yet  lin- 
gered in  the  place  ventured  to  hope  for  the  best,  and  withdrew 
to  their  chambers,  fearful  indeed  and  very  anxious,  but  not  de- 
spairing. The  dawn  of  the  18th  saw  them  all  afoot,  and  in  spite 
of  the  heavy  rain  which  fell  the  Park  was  soon  crowded.  For  a 
while  all  was  still.  No  sound  of  firing  came  over  the  forest, 
neither  were  other  signs  of  war  afforded  to  them,  save  in  the  oc- 
casional arrival  of  small  bodies  of  wounded  from  the  field  of 
Quatre  Bras,  and  the  hurried  visits  of  the  medical  attendants 
to  such  as  already  occupied  the  hospitals.  But  by  anJ  by  there 
was  a  change.  The  roar  of  cannon  burst  upon  them  suddenly  ; 
they  knew  that  the  battle  was  begun,  and  from  that  moment 
terror  became  so  predominant  in  every  bosom  that  the  idea  of  its 
probably  ending  in  the  triumph  of  the  allies  seems  not  to  have 
occurred  to  any  one.  It  may  not  be  amiss  if  we  borrow  the  lan- 
guage of  one  who,  having  fled  on  the  17th  to  Antwerp,  saw  and 
conversed  on  the  evening  of  the  18th  with  other  fugitives  who 
had  succeeded  in  escaping  only  in  the  course  of  the  latter  day. 

"  A  hundred  Napoleons  had  been  vainly  offered  for  a  pair  of 
horses  but  a  few  hours  after  we  left  Brussels  ;  and  the  scene  of 
confusion  which  it  presented  on  Saturday  evening  surpassed  all 
conception.  The  certainty  of  the  defeat  of  the  Prussians,  of 
their  retreat,  and  of  the  retreat  of  the  British  army,  prepared 
the  people  to  expect  the  worst.  Aggravated  reports  of  disaster 
and  dismay  continually  succeeded  to  each  other  :  the  despair  and 
lamentations  of  the  Belgians  ;  the  anxiety  of  the  English  to 
learn  the  fate  of  their  friends  ;  the  dreadful  spectacle  of  the 
wagon-loads  of  wounded  coming  in,  and  the  terrified  fugitives 
flying  out  in  momentary  expectation  of  the  arrival  of  the  French  ; 
the  streets,  the  roads,  the  canals  covered  with  boats,  carriages, 
wagons,  horses,  and  crowds  of  unfortunate  people  flying  from 
this  scene  of  horror  and  danger,  formed  altogether  a  combination 
of  tumult,  terror,  and  misery,  which  cannot  be  described.  Num- 
bers even  of  ladies,  unable  to  procure  any  means  of  conveyance, 
set  off  on  foot,  and  walked  in  the  dark  beneath  the  pelting  storm 


258  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    ICIIAP. 

to  Malines  ;  and  the  distress  of  the  crowds  who  now  filled  Ant- 
werp it  is  utterly  impossible  to  conceive." 

Thus  it  was  even  before  the  tidings  of  the  commencement  of 
the  battle  arrived  ;  the  sound  of  firing  augmented  the  terror  a 
hundredfold  in  the  capital,  and  the  feeling  soon  spread  with  the 
intelligence  in  which  it  had  originated  to  all  the  cities  near. 
Malines  was  abandoned,  as  Brussels  had  been,  by  all  who  could 
command  the  means  of  further  flight.  Even  in  Antwerp  itself 
many  did  not  feel  themselves  secure,  and  therefore  escaped  as 
they  best  could,  some  to  Breda,  others  to  Ostend.  Among  those 
who  remained  there  was  but  one  subject  of  thought  that  could 
interest.  "  Every  faculty  of  our  minds  was  absorbed  in  one  feel- 
ing, one  interest ;  we  seemed  like  bodies  without  souls.  Our 
persons  and  our  outward  senses  were,  indeed,  present  in  Ant- 
werp, but  our  whole  hearts  and  souls  were  with  the  army. 

"In  the  course  of  our  wanderings  (for  no  one  could  keep 
within  doors)  we  met  many  people  whom  we  knew,  and  had  much 
conversation  with  many  whom  we  did  not  know.  At  this  mo- 
mentous crisis  one  feeling  actuated  every  heart,  one  thought  en 
gaged  every  tongue,  one  common  interest  bound  together  every 
human  being.  All  ranks  were  confounded,  all  distinctions  lev- 
elled, all  common  forms  neglected.  Gentlemen  and  servants, 
lords  and  common  soldiers,  British  and  foreigners  were  all  upon 
an  equality,  elbowing  each  other  without  ceremony,  and  address- 
ing each  other  without  apology.  Ladies  accosted  men  they  had 
never  before  seen  with  eager  questions  unhesitatingly;  strangers 
conversed  together  like  friends,  and  English  reserve  seemed  no 
longer  to  exist.  From  morning  till  night  the  great  Place  dc 
Maire  was  completely  filled  with  people,  standing  under  um- 
brellas and  eagerly  watching  for  news  of  the  battle.  So  closely 
packed  was  this  anxious  crowd,  that  when  viewed  from  the  hotel 
windows,  nothing  could  be  seen  but  one  compact  mass  of  um- 
brellas. As  the  day  advanced  the  consternation  became  greater. 
The  number  of  terrified  fugitives  from  Brussels,  upon  whose 
faces  were  marked  the  deepest  anxiety  and  distress,  and  who 
thronged  into  the  town,  on  horseback  and  on  foot,  increased  the 


CHAP.  xxxi.J  BRUSSELS  ON  THE  ISra.  25SI 

general  dismay ;  while  long  rows  of  carriages  lined  the  streets, 
tilled  with  people  who  could  find  no  place  of  shelter." 

It  was  not,  however,  among  the  timid  and  the  peaceful  only 
that  excitement  prevailed  in  rear  of  the  army  to  an  extent  which 
was  positively  painful.  Every  soldier  who  heard  the  sound  of 
battle  and  felt  himself  so  situated  as  to  be  incapable  of  sharing  its 
perils  with  his  comrades,  fretted  and  chafed  like  a  steed  which  a 
strong  curb  restrains ;  and  many  such  there  were.  Not  to  speak 
of  the  continental  troops,  among  some  of  whom  an  excellent  spirit 
prevailed,  there  were  English  regiments  doing  garrison  duty  in 
the  different  fortresses ;  and  others,  still  more  distressingly  situ- 
ated, who,  having  arrived  at  Ostend  on  the  previous  day,  were 
now  in  full  march  towards  the  front.  These  toiled  and  strained 
in  the  endeavor  to  reach  the  scene  of  action,  more  than  the 
strength  of  the  less  robust  members  of  each  corps  could  endure, 
and  they  left  in  consequence  numerous  stragglers  at  most  of  the 
villages  through  which  they  passed.  But  not  even  the  stoutest 
of  them  reached  the  field  in  time.  They  had  borne  the  brunt  of 
the  American  war.  They  had  returned  weak  in  numbers,  but  un- 
shaken in  discipline,  from  that  ill-conducted  contest,  and  burned 
to  wipe  out  the  remembrance  of  the  failure  before  New  Orleans 
in  the  encounter  of  a  foe  worthy  of  their  renown.  But  they  did 
not  succeed.  Night  closed  upon  them  just  as  they  passed  through 
the  village  of  Waterloo  ;  and  ere  they  could  reach  the  scene  of 
strife  the  last  shot  had  been  fired. 

Meanwhile  the  Duke  returned  to  the  house  where,  on  the  pre- 
vious evening,  he  had  established  his  head-quarters.  He  arrived 
at  the  door  silent  and  thoughtful,  and,  alighting  from  his  horse, 
narrowly  escaped  an  injury  which  might  have  proved  fatal.  The 
gallant  animal  which  had  carried  his  master  safely  through  the 
fatigues  and  dangers  of  the  day,  as  if  proud  of  the  part  which  he 
had  played  in  the  great  game,  threw  up  his  heels  just  as  the  Duke 
turned  from  him.  and  it  was  by  a  mere  hairbreadth  that  the  life 
was  preserved  which,  in  a  battle  of  ten  hours'  duration,  had  been 
left  unscathed.  But  the  Duke  was  too  much  occupied  with  his 
own  thoughts  and  feelings  to  pay  much  regard  to  the  circumstance. 
He  entered  the  house.  Every  apartment  was  filled  with  wounded 


2GO  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxxi. 

officers  and  their  kind  and  indefatigable  medical  attendants  :  for 
kind  and  indefatigable  these  gentlemen  are,  as  all  who  in  similar 
circumstances  have  come  under  their  hands  can  testify,  and  greatly 
is  their  strength  taxed,  sometimes  till  it  fails  them,  even  in  the 
British  army,  remarkable  though  it  be  above  all  other  armies  for 
the  attention  which  is  paid  to  this  important  department.  The 
Duke's  heart  bled  as  he  looked  round  him.  There  upon  one  bed 
lay  his  long-tried  and  faithful  military  secretary,  cheerful  though 
mutilated,  and  anxious  only  about  his  chief.  Here  upon  another 
poor  Gordon  was  stretched,  the  tide  of  life  ebbing  rapidly,  though 
the  eye  brightened  as  the  tones  of  a  voice  never  heard  except  in 
kindness  fell  upon  his  ears.  And  among  them  all  Dr.  Hume,  the 
friend  as  well  as  the  physician  .of  the  head-quarters  staff,  passed 
to  and  fro,  bringing  aid  where  it  was  wanted,  or  else  directing 
others  to  perform  such  minor  offices  as  might  according  to  his 
anxious  view  of  each  case,  be  deputed  to  them.  Nevertheless, 
there  was  one  individual  within  those  walls  whose  habitual  sang- 
froid seemed  not  to  have  deserted  him.  The  master  of  the  cuisine 
had  done  his  duty.  He  had  kept  possession  of  the  kitchen  in 
spite  of  innumerable  endeavors  to  move  him,  by  alternate  threats 
and  entreaties,  to  the  rear  ;  and  now  sent  up  for  his  master's  re- 
freshment a  meal  which  would  have  done  no  discredit  to  the  most 
distinguished  of  the  restaurants  in  Paris.  It  was  eaten  in  silence 
and  much  sorrow,  and  then  after  the  fragments  were  removed  the 
conqueror  sat  down  to  write  dispatches  and  private  letters,  which 
occupied  him  the  greater  part  of  the  night.  If  the  reader  should 
happen  never  to  have  seen  either  the  picture  by  Lady  Westmore- 
land or  the  engraving  taken  from  it  which  represents  the  scene, 
he  is  advised  to  remedy  this  defect  in  his  researches  with  as  little 
delay  as  possible.  It  will  go  farther  to  fill  up  the  void  in  his  im- 
agination than  any  written  record,  and  doubtless  tells  the  tale 
with  a  degree  of  accuracy  which  cannot  be  called  in  question. 

It  was  not,  however,  in  this  quarter  alone  that  sad  scenes  were 
enacted.  The  living  tide  had  rolled  onwards,  but  there  was  left 
behind  a  wreck  of  human  suffering,  on  which  to  look  back  even 
now  over  the  space  which  divides  it  from  us  is  very  painful. 
Wherever  the  opportunity  was  afforded  the  wounded  were  cither 


CHAP,  xxxi.]  THE  FIELD  OF  BATTLE.  261 

carried  or  crept  back  from  the  crest  of  the  position  ;  and  tha 
worst  cases,  if  they  survived  long  enough  for  the  proceeding,  were 
removed  into  the  houses.  For  almost  all  the  buildings  along  the 
rear  of  the  line  had  been  converted  into  temporary  hospitals. 
Straw  covered  the  earthen  floors,  and  coarse  but  wholesome 
sheeting  was  spread  over  it.  There  the  wounded  and  mangled 
lay  down,  crowds  upon  crowds,  with  scarce  an  interval  between  ; 
while  the  medical  men  and  their  assistants  gave  to  each  in  his 
turn  such  attention  as  it  was  in  their  power  to  bestow.  And  truly 
it  is  in  situations  like  this  that  men's  nerves  and  hearts  are  tried. 
There  was  no  rest,  no  sleep,  all  that  summer's  night — no  respite 
next  day,  nor  for  many  a  day  afterwards,  to  these  ministers  of 
health  and  ease.  Indeed,  the  demand  upon  their  skill  was  so 
multitudinous  and  incessant  that  the  marvel  is  how  they  succeeded 
to  any  extent  in  paying  heed  to  it. 

So  passed  the  night,  and  with  the  first  dawn  of  the  morrow 
parties  went  forth  in  every  direction  to  seek  for  the  living  among 
the  dead.  Many  were,  of  course,  found,  of  whom  it  was  grievous 
to  know,  that  had  it  been  possible  to  bring  relief  but  a  few  hours 
earlier,  their  valuable  lives  might  have  been  saved.  It  would  but 
awaken  griefs  which  the  hand  of  time  has  assuaged  were  the  names 
of  individuals  thus  circumstanced  to  be  placed  upon  record :  yet 
that  a  considerable  catalogue  might  be  made  of  them  is  too  certain. 
Moreover  it  was  not  exclusively  to  our  own  countrymen  and  their 
allies  that  the  hand  of  charity  was  thus  held  out :  wherever  a 
wounded  French  soldier  was  found,  an  English  fatigue  party 
carried  him  where  medical  aid  was  afforded ;  and  very  grateful 
most  of  these  veteran  warriors  seemed  to  be  for  the  kindness  with 
which  they  were  treated. 

It  were  vain  to  relate  how  the  intelligence  of  this  great  victory 
affected  those  who  for  the  last  three  days  had  experienced  the 
extreme  of  terror.  Their  joy  seemed  to  be  well  nigh  as  hard  of 
endurance  as  the  feeling  to  which  it  succeeded.  At  first,  indeed, 
they  refused  credit  to  the  reports  of  those  who  spoke  of  the  triumph 
of  the  allied  arms  ;  but  when  actors  in  the  scene  came  in,  bring- 
ing with  them  the  same  glad  tidings,  the  delight  of  the  listeners 
vented  itself  not  unfrcqucntly  in  tears.  "  One  loud  universal 


262  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxu. 

buzz  of  voices  filled  the  streets,"  writes  the  authority  from  which 
I  have  already  quoted ;  "one  feeling  pervaded  every  heart ;  one 
expression  beamed  in  every  face ;  in  short,  the  people  were  quite 
wild  with  joy,  and  some  of  them  really  seemed  by  no  means  in 
possession  of  their  senses.  At  the  door  of  our  hotel  the  first  sight 
which  I  beheld  among  the  crowds  that  encircled  it  was  an  English 
lady,  who  had  apparently  attained  the  full  meridian  of  life,  with 
a  night-cap  stuck  on  the  top  of  her  head,  discovering  her  hair  in 
papillotes  beneath,  attired  in  a  long  white  flannel  dressing-gown, 
loosely  tied  about  her  waist,  with  the  sleeves  tucked  up  above  the 
elbows.  She  was  flying  about  in  a  distracted  manner,  with  a 
paper  in  her  hand,  loudly  proclaiming  the  glorious  tidings,  con- 
tinually repeating  the  same  thing,  and  rejoicing,  lamenting,  won- 
dering, pitying,  and  exclaiming,  all  in  the  same  breath.  In  vain 
did  her  maid  pursue  her  with  a  shawl,  which  occasionally  she  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  upon  her  ^shoulders,  but  which  invariably  fell 
off  again  the  next  moment.  In  vain  did  another  lady,  whose 
dress  and  mind  were  a  little  more  composed,  endeavor  to  entice 
her  away.  She  could  not  be  brought  to  pay  to  them  the  slightest 
attention,  and  I  left  her  still  talking  as  fast  as  ever,  and  standing 
in  this  curious  dishabille  among  gentlemen  and  footmen,  and  offi- 
cers and  soldiers,  and  valets  du  place,  and  in  full  view  of  the  mul- 
titudes who  thronged  the  great  Place  de  Maire." 

But  it  was  not  thus  alone  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  Low 
Countries,  and  the  visitors  who  sojourned  among  them,  exhibited 
their  gratitude  and  gladness  for  the  deliverance  which  they  had 
experienced.  Every  door  was  opened  in  the  capital,  and  in  all 
the  towns  and  cities  near  and  far  away,  to  receive  the  wounded. 
Delicate  women  waited  upon  them  and  dressed  their  hurts. 
Ladies  of  rank  and  men  of  property,  gave  up  their  rooms  or  sent 
their  beds  and  bedding  to  the  hospitals,  while  wine,  brandy,  linen, 
vegetables,  fruit,  were  freely  and  largely  given  wherever  they  ap- 
peared to  be  needed.  Nor  did  the  spirit  of  liberality  and  kind- 
ness fail  to  be  moved  largely  elsewhere.  England,  amid  the  depth 
of  her  sorrows  for  the  fallen,  thrilled  with  gratitude  towards  the 
survivors.  Subscriptions  were  set  on  foot  for  the  purpose  of  cre- 
ating a  Waterloo  fund,  out  of  which  immediate  relief  might  be 


CHAP,  xxxn.]  BATTLE  OF  WAVRE.  263 

supplied  to  the  families  of  the  dead,  or  the  mutilated  soldiers  and 
their  widows  pensioned.  Numbers  of  medical  men  at  their  own 
expense,  and  many  at  the  cost  of  still  greater  personal  inconve- 
nience, hastened  from  London  and  elsewhere  to  lend  assistance 
in  providing  for  the  hospitals.  In  a  word,  the  enthusiasm  of 
Europe  seemed  never  to  have  been  awakened  till  now,  for  all  na- 
tions more  or  less  felt  it.  But  it  is  time  to  resume  the  thread  of 
our  narrative. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

Battle  of  Wavre. 

IT  has  been  stated  elsewhere  that  Marshal  Bliicher,  while  exe- 
cuting his  flank  movement  in  support  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
directed  Gen.  von  Thielrnann  to  occupy  the  position  of  Wavre  ; 
and  in  the  event  of  an  attack  in  force,  to  resist  and  repel  it  with 
his  whole  corps.  Gen.  von  Thielmann  was  not,  however,  to  abide 
permanently  on  the  Dyle.  Should  the  enemy  either  not  molest 
him  at  all,  or  show  only  a  portion  of  his  strength,  and  use  it  lan- 
guidly, Von  Thielmanu  was  to  follow,  by  brigades,  the  route  of 
the  main  army,  and,  making  Coutierc  his  pivot  on  the  march,  to 
lend  his  aid  in  overwhelming  the  right  and  rear  of  Napoleon. 
Von  Thielmann  attended  faithfully  to  these  instructions.  He 
remained  on  his  ground  till  past  three  in  the  afternoon,  by  which 
time  lie  had  reason  to  imagine  that  the  corps  in  advance  of  him 
must  be  well  on  their  way,  and  then,  observing  no  signs  of  the 
enemy,  he  gave  orders  for  his  brigades  to  stand  to  their  arms,  and 
to  form  one  by  one  in  the  routes  which  it  was  intended  that  they 
should  severally  follow. 

Thielmann's  corps  consisted  of  four  brigades,  the  9th,  10th, 
1 1th,  and  12th  :  of  these  only  the  9th  continued  at  this  time,  ou 
the  farther  side  of  the  Dyle  ;  and  to  a  portion  of  it  (to  two  bat- 
talions and  the  reserve)  the  occupation  of  Wavre  was  to  be  in 


201  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  XIXH 

trusted.  The  remaining  four  were  to  follow  in  the  track  of  the 
brigades  which  should  precede  them,  and  to  act  as  a  strong  rear- 
guard, on  which,  in  case  of  a  sharp  pursuit,  the  detached  battal- 
ions might  come  in. 

The  order  for  the  march  was  issued,  and  the  12th  brigade  had 
begun  to  move,  when  troops  were  seen  approaching  the  liver,  from 
the  opposite  side,  and  by  and  by  some  guns  opened.  It  was 
Vandammc's  corps  which  thus  showed  itself;  and  though  their 
manoeuvring  seemed  to  be  cautious,  and  the  cannonade  was  not 
very  severe,  Thielmann  judged  it  expedient  to  suspend  the  march 
of  his  columns  for  a  while.  It  was  well  that  he  did  so.  The  at- 
tack, feeble  at  first,  grew  gradually  more  earnest.  The  tirailleurs 
which  had  approached  the  further  bank  of  the  river  were  fed  con- 
tinually ;  and  about  four  o'clock  such  masses  appeared  in  the 
distance  as  satisfied  the  Prussian  General  of  the  work  \vhich  was 
cut  out  for  him.  He  hastened  to  occupy  his  position  in  a  soldier- 
like manner,  and  prepared  to  receive  the  battle. 

"VVavre  stands  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Dyle,  and  is  connected 
with  a  suburb  on  the  right  bank  by  two  stone  bridges  ;  one  of 
which  falls  in  upon  the  principal  or  central  street,  while  the  other 
spans  the  stream  at  the  upper  parlfof  the  town.  The  river,  though 
at  ordinary  seasons  shallow,  had  been  swollen  by  the  late  rain?, 
and  this,  added  to  the  natural  steepness  of  the  banks,  rendered  il 
impassable,  except  by  the  bridges.  Now  of  these  there  were  four, 
additional  to  the  stone  bridges,  within  compass  of  the  manoeuvres 
on  a  day  of  battle  :  one  was  at  Bas  \Yavre,  below  the  town  ;  the 
other  three  at  the  Mill  de  Bierge,  Lemale,  and  Lemalette,  above  it ; 
and  though  all  were  of  wood,  their  structure  were  sufficiently  firm 
to  carry  "whatever  weight  the  march  of  an  army  might  impose 
upon  it.  Finally,  the  great  road  from  Namur  to  Brussels  passes 
through  "VYavre,  and  is  both  broad  and  well  paved ;  and  there  is 
no  end  to  the  cross-roads,  all  of  which  offer  ample  facilities  for 
the  movement  of  infantry,  while  "the  greater  part  are  practicable 
for  cavalry  and  artillery  likewise. 

From  the  bridge  at  Bas  "VYavre  to  that  at  Ix;malette  the  dis- 
tance cannot  be  less  than  four  English  miles.  Had  the  course 
of  the  Dylc  been  through  open  meadows,  Gen.  Thielmann,  with 


CHAP,  xxxi i. J  BATTLE  OP  WAVRE.  265 

the  force  which  he  commanded,  would  have  found  himself  quite 
unable  to  guard  its  passages ;  but  the  nature  of  the  country — 
though  it  left  him  enough  to  think  of — greatly  assisted  him  in 
these  matters.  There  is  much  wood  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
steep  banks,  and  miry  ravines  behind  them,  the  combination  of 
which  could  not  fail  seriously  to  impede  the  movements  of  troops ; 
and  the  Prussian  General  availed  himself  skilfully  of  the  advan- 
tages which  they  offered  in  the  distribution  of  his  corps.  His  first 
position  extended  only  from  Bas  Wavre  to  the  Mill  of  Biergc. 
In  rear  of  the  latter  he  placed  Col.  von  Stttlpnagel,  with  the  12th 
brigade  and  a  battery  of  cannon  ;  the  mill  itself  being  occupied 
by  light  troops,  and  the  bridge  barricaded.  The  10th  brigade 
under  Col.  von  Ktimpfen,  formed  upon  the  heights  above  Wavrc  ; 
while  the  llth.  under  Col.  von  Luck,  stood  astride  of  the  Brus- 
'scls  road,  whence  it  watched  both  Wavre  itself  and  Bas  Wavrc. 
The  latter  village  was  occupied  in  force  ;  the  suburb  of  Wavre, 
lying  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  was  lightly  held  by  pickets 
of  infantry  ;  the  great  bridge  was  barricaded,  and  all  the  houses 
within  reasonable  distance  of  the  left  bank  of  the  stream  were 
loop-holed.  Finally,  the  guns  were  ranged  along  the  acclivities 
wherever  they  could  see  into  the  line  of  the  enemy's  approach  ; 
und  the  best  spirit  prevailed  everywhere.  Only  one  mistake  was 
committed  on  this  occasion  ;  but  it  was  a  serious  one.  The  9th 
brigade,  instead  of  abiding,  as  Thielmann  meant  it  to  do,  in  sup- 
port, and  becoming  applicable  to  such  emergencies  as  might  arise, 
moved  off  by  Fromont,  Bourgeous,  and  St.  Lambert  upon  Cou- 
tiere.  and  left  Gen.  Thielmann  with  no  more  than  15,000  men  to 
maintain  the  battle  as  well  as  he  could,  against  Grouchy  with 
32,000. 

It  was  about  half-past  three  o'clock  when  Vandamrac's  corps 
began  to  engage  the  Prussian  light  troops  which  held  the  woods 
and  houses  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Dyle.  These  were  gradually 
driven  in,  because  it  formed  no  part  of  Thielmann's  plan  to  main- 
tain a  permanent  hold  even  of  the  suburb ;  and  presently  the 
guns  began  to  open  on  both  sides.  The  enemy  brought  up  two 
batteries,  one  of  12-pounders,  with  which  they  cannonaded  the 
town,  and  endeavored  to  keep  under  the  fire  of  the  Prussian  ar- 

12 


266          STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.      [CHAP,  xxxn 

tillery  ;  but  the  attempt  was  not  successful.  So  judiciously  Lad 
Thielmann  disposed  his  pieces  that,  though  inferior  both  in  num- 
bers and  weight  of  metal,  they  maintained  a  contest  not  at  a  dis- 
advantage with  the  French  batteries,  and  occasioned  heavy  loss 
among  the  columns  as  often  as  they  showed  themselves  outside  the 
cover  of  the  woods.  But  Grouchy  would  not,  for  this,  take  a  denial. 
He  closed  up  his  skirmishers  to  the  edge  of  the  stream  ;  launched 
his  battalions  one  after  another  at  the  bridge ;  forced  his  way  re- 
peatedly into  the  openings  of  the  streets,  and  was  repeatedly 
driven  out  again.  For  the  tumult  of  the  battle  at  Waterloo  had 
attracted  his  attention,  while  as  yet  his  own  light  troops,  and  these 
only,  were  engaged  ;  and,  riding  off  to  the  left  that  he  might  the 
better  listen,  he  soon  satisfied  himself  regarding  the  true  state  of 
the  case.  Under  these  circumstances,  and  fully  believing  that  the 
whole  Prussian  army  was  in  his  front,  he  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  he  could  not  more  effectually  co-operate  with  the  Emperor  than 
by  preventing  Blucher  from  detaching  to  the  assistance  of  the 
English.  He  therefore  urged  the  attack  upon  Wavre  with  des- 
perate obstinacy,  and  suffered,  through  the  resolute  defence  of 
the  Prussians,  enormous  loss. 

Thielmann  had  well  disposed  his  troops  for  this  sort  of  warfare. 
Only  skirmishers  lined  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  filled  the  houses 
which  commanded  the  bridge.  The  supports  were  all  concealed 
among  the  cross-streets,  where  they  were  sheltered  in  a  great  de- 
gree even  from  artillery ;  and  whence,  as  often  as  the  French  col- 
umns forced  their  way  beyond  the  bridge,  they  rushed  out,  charged, 
and  overthrew  them.  Moreover,  reinforcements  could  be  speedily 
and  safely  sent  down  from  the  heights  which  overlooked  the  place 
whenever  the  occasion  arose,  and  the  guns  from  the  higher  plat- 
form told  heavily.  Seeing  all  this,  Grouchy  became  impatient, 
and  chafed  the  more  that  through  his  own  mismanagement  a  con- 
siderable space  of  time  elapsed  ere  his  troops  came  rightly  to- 
gether :  for  Excelmans,  with  his  cavalry,  had  gone  off  to  recon 
noitre  along  the  Louvain  road,  while  Pajol  yet  lingered  about 
Corbaux,  and  Milot's  division  of  Gerard's  corps  was  far  in  the 
rear,  though  it  made  strenuous  exertions  to  come  up. 

At  length  the  missing  brigades  arrive  I,  and  with  more  than 


CHAP,  xxxii.]  BATTLE  OP  WAVRE.  267 

30,000  men  Grouchy  made  dispositions  to  attack,  as  he  imagined, 
the  disheartened  remains  of  Bluchers  army.  He  threw  forward 
an  increased  number  of  tirailleurs  all  along  his  own  bank  of  the 
Dyle ;  and  the  Prussians  feeding  theirs  in  like  manner,  the  mus- 
ketry-fire across  the  stream  became  warm  and  animated.  Ho 
next  directed  Milot  to  march  upon  the  mill  of  Bicrge,  and  to  force 
at  that  point  the  passage  of  the  Dyle.  Milot  approached  the  mill, 
against  which  one  of  Vandamme's  battalions  had  vainly  wasted 
its  strength,  and,  covered  by  the  fire  of  his  own  cannon,  pushed 
forward.  The  ground  was  wet  and  swampy,  so  that  his  progress 
was  slow,  frequent  broad  drains  and  ditches  checking  him  con- 
tinually ;  but  in  spite  both  of  these  obstacles  and  of  a  murderous 
fire  from  the  Prussian  batteries  he  reached  the  mill.  There  then 
opened  upon  him  such  a  storm  of  musketry  as  no  troops  could 
withstand.  From  the  mill  itself,  and  some  houses  near  it,  from 
the  woody  lank  of  the  Dyle,  and  plunging  from  the  high  ground 
that  overlooks  it,  crowds  of  skirmishers  kept  up  a  fire  which  was 
both  close  and  deadly ;  and  though  the  battalions  which  Milot 
sent  against  both  the  mill  and  the  bridge  performed  prodigies  of 
valor,  they  could  not  effect  their  object.  This  attack  also  was  re- 
pulsed, and  the  enemy  fell  back  in  some  confusion. 

It  was  at  this  crisis  in  the  battle,  about  six  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, that  Grouchy  received  the  dispatch  which  Soult  had  sent  off 
from  La  Belle  Alliance  at  one  o'clock  in  the  day.  Grouchy  read 
it — not  without  chagrin ;  for  the  opportunity  of  acting  as  was 
there  suggested  had  passed  away ;  and  being  now  warmly  engaged 
with  the  Prussians,  he  could  not,  without  the  risk  of  almost  cer- 
tain destruction,  detach  largely  to  his  left.  Besides,  if  he  did, 
what  chance  was  there  that  his  troops,  fatigued  and  foot-sore,  would 
be  able  to  overtake  Biilow,  or  strike  a  blow  ere  darkness  should 
close  in?  Probably,  too,  it  may  have  occurred  to  the  French 
Marshal,  that  he  had  not  sufficiently  kept  in  view  the  spirit  of  the 
instructions  which  he  had  received  from  his  master.  He  could 
not  assert,  even  to  himself,  that  he  had  never  lost  his  touch  to- 
wards the  Prussians  ;  indeed,  it  was  now  manifest  that  Blilchcr, 
though  worsted  in  the  fight  of  Ligny,  was  in  full  vigor,  both  men- 
tally and  corporeally,  still.  The  old  warrior  had  so  managed  his 


208  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO. .  [CHAP.  xxxn. 

retreat  as  to  out-general  the  very  men  who  defeated  him.  With 
all  these  reflections  about  the  past  awakened,  and  in  exceeding 
alarm  with  regard  to  the  future,  Grouchy  saw  or  believed  that 
but  one  course  was  now  open  to  him :  he  must,  at  all  hazards, 
gain  possession  of  the  Brussels  road,  and  cut  off  the  troops  with 
which  he  was  engaged  from  the  means  of  joining  the  corps  in  ad- 
vance of  them ;  and  to  effect  these  purposes  it  was  necessary  that 
he  should  make  himself  master  of  Wavre  with  as  little  delay  as 
possible. 

Exhorting  Milot  to  renew  his  attempt  on  the  bridge  at  Biergc, 
Grouchy  galloped  back  towards  Wavre,  against  which  he  directed 
another  and  more  formidable  attack  to  be  made.  It  failed,  as  all 
the  rest  had  done  ;  General  Gerard,  who  led,  receiving  a  severe 
wound  in  the  breast ;  whereupon  a  new  plan  was  arranged,  and 
Grouchy  himself  undertook  to  superintend  its  accomplishment. 
He  had  already  directed  Pajol  to  march  upon  Lemale ;  and  he 
now  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  portion  of  Gerard's  division,  and 
led  it  through  the  oniry  ravines  that  run  parallel  with  the  river 
in  the  same  direction.  These  movements,  as  well  as  the  advance 
of  a  column  from  La  Baraque,  occupied  some  time,  but  they  led 
to  important  results.  The  bridge  at  Lemale  had  not  been  barri- 
caded, and  the  dispositions  made  for  its  defence  by  Lieut.  Col, 
Von  Stengel  lacked  somewhat  of  the  provident  care  which  Gen. 
Thielmann  in  the  management  of  his  own  people  had  exhibited. 
Von  Stengel's  detachment,  consisting  of  three  battalions  of  in- 
fantry, two  squadrons  of  lancers,  and  one  of  landwehr  cavalry,  had 
been  left  by  Zieten  to  cover  the  right  flank  of  the  3rd  corps ;  and 
not  reporting  to  Thielmann  or  being  otherwise  formally  handed 
over  to  him,  deserved,  in  some  sort,  to  be  accounted  a  separate 
command.  Pajol  soon  observed  that  the  bridge  was  open.  He 
formed  his  leading  squadrons,  dashed  at  the  river,  drove  back  the 
picket  which  was  in  observation,  and  crossed  with  the  fugitives  ; 
presently  Milot's  infantry  came  up,  and  the  whole  falling  furiously 
upon  Stengel  compelled  him  to  give  ground. 

The  Prussian  position  was  thus  turned,  but  not  on  that  ac- 
count did  Thielmann  withdraw  from  it.  He  was  keenly  alive  to 
the  importance  of  keeping  Grouchy  in  check  to  the  latest  mo- 


L-HAP.  xxxii.]  BATTLE.  OP  WAVRE.  269 

ment,  and  ther  efore,  moved  his  12th  brigade  to  the  support  of 
Stengel.  Indeed,  tbe  whole  of  bis  little  army  took  ground  to 
the  right ;  the  10th  brigade  dividing  its  force  so  as  to  supply  the 
gap  which  the  movement  of  tbe  l;ith  had  occasioned,  and  tbo 
1 1th  coming  boldly  to  that  side  of  the  Brussels  road  which  was 
in  danger  ;  but  he  could  not  drive  tbe  French  across  the  river. 
Ou  the  contrary,  his  columns,  missing  their  way  amid  the  grow- 
ing darkness,  came  awkwardly  upon  points  in  the  enemy's  line 
which  it  was  not  intended  that  they  should  assail,  and  were  com- 
pelled, in  consequence,  to  retire  with  loss.  They  accordingly  fell 
back  to  the  rear  of  a  wood  which  stands  midway,  or  nearly  so, 
between  Lemale  and  the  mill  of  Bierge,  and  keeping  their  out- 
posts within  a  few  yards  of  those  of  the  enemy,  lay  down. 

Meanwhile,  in  Wavre,  and  by  and  by  in  Bas  Wavre,  the  bat- 
tle raged  with  indescribable  fury.  "Vandamme  devoted  the  whole 
of  his  corps  to  the  capture  of  the  former  place.  Mass  after  mass 
was  thrown  upon  the  bridge,  but  it  passed  over  only  to  be  driven 
back  again  ;  while  the  lower  part  of  the  street  and  all  the  road 
beyond  it  were  covered  with  the  slain,  of  whom  many  fell  into 
the  water  and  were  swept  away  by  tbe  strength  of  the  current, 
At  last,  long  after  darjiness  had  set  in,  the  fire  began  to  slacken. 
Vaudamme  saw  that  he  could  make  no  head  against  men  so  reso- 
lute as  those  with  whom  he  had  to  deal ;  and  drawing  off  the  re- 
mains of  his  shattered  battalions  prepared  to  pass  the  night  in 
bivouac.  Accordingly,  both  bridges  remained  in  the  hands  of 
the  Prussians,  who  made  use  of  the  first  leisure  which  the  enemy 
afforded  them  to  erect  a  barricade  on  the  lesser  of  the  two ;  and 
then  having  carefully  planted  their  sentries  and  otherwise  pro- 
vided against  the  risk  of  a  surprise,  they,  in  like  manner,  lay 
down. 


270          STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxni. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

Renewal  of  the  Cattle —  Retreat  of  Grouchy. 

DURING  the  greater  part  of  the  night  of  the  18th,  Grouchy 
busied  himself  in  making  preparations  for  a  renewal  of  the  battle. 
No  intelligence  from  the  grand  army  reached  him  ;  and  as  he 
had  by  this  time  assembled  the  entire  strength  of  his  corps,  he 
retained  his  position  astride  of  the  Dyle,  and  strengthened  his 
left  for  the  operations  of  the*  morrow.  But  it  was  not  so  with 
Thielmann.  As  soon  as  the  cessation  of  the  enemy's  attack  left 
him  free  to  look  abroad,  he  dispatched  an  intelligent  officer  to  the 
right,  who  returned,  in  due  time,  with  tidings  of  the  complete 
defeat  of  Napoleon.  Nuthing  doubting  that  Grouchy  must  have 
been  made  acquainted  with  the  catastrophe,  Thielmann  reckoned, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  on  the  retreat  of  his  own  immediate  oppo- 
nent ;  and  he  determined  to  render  it  as  little  tranquil  to  the 
fugitives  as  possible.  His  astonishment  may,  therefore,  be  con- 
ceived, when,  on  the  first  dawn  of  the  19th,  it  was  reported  to 
him  that  Lieut.  Col.  Von  Stengel  had  withdrawn  his  brigade,  and 
was  in  full  march  upon  St.  Lambert  for  the  purpose  of  rejoining 
his  own  corps. 

It  had  been  Thielmann's  purpose  to  assume  the  initiative  this 
day,  and  to  give,  instead  of  waiting  to  receive,  the  attack.  In- 
deed, he  caused  his  patrols  to  be  much  on  the  alert,  under  the 
persuasion  that  the  enemy  would  steal  away  without  affording 
him  the  opportunity  of  striking  a  blow.  The  departure  of  Von 
Stengel  (a  movement  as  eccentric  as  tha  neglect  by  this  officer  of 
common  precautions  on  the  previous  day  at  Lemale)  compelled 
a  total  change  of  plan.  Instead  of  assuming  the  offensive  he  was 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  extending  his  order  beyond  what  it 
would  bear,  with  a  view  to  show  a  tolerable  front  to  the  enemy  ; 


CHAP,  xxxni.)     RENEWAL  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WAVRE.  2")1 

and  the  results  were  not  fatal  only  because  the  courage  and  con- 
stancy of  his  troops  were  beyond  all  praise. 

The  dawn  of  the  19th  broke,  and  the  two  corps  d'armee  con- 
tinued for  some  time  to  face  one  another.  Thielmann  naturally 
concluded  that  the  hesitation  of  Grouchy  arose  out  of  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  issues  of  the  great  battle  of  yesterday  ;  and  being 
very  unwilling  that  the  latter  should  escape  altogether,  he  deter- 
mined to  strike  the  first  blow.  With  this  view  he  pushed  for- 
ward a  body  of  cavalry  towards  the  high  ground  above  Leinale, 
which  Grouchy  had  occupied  with  his  left  wing,  and  opened  upon 
the  French  masses  a  smart  fire  from  two  batteries  of  cannon. 
But  the  French,  instead  of  falling  back,  as  he  had  anticipated, 
replied  to  the  cannonade  with  a  prodigious  superiority  of  force, 
and  forthwith  advanced  in  three  columns  to  attack  his  position. 
A  furious  combat  ensued :  though  outnumbered  in  a  proportion 
of  two  to  one,  the  Prussians  held  their  ground  with  exceeding 
obstinacy ;  and  when  at  length  compelled  to  fall  back,  they  did 
so  in  excellent  order,  and  very  slowly.  A  wood  which  had  cov- 
ered the  right  of  their  position  was  lost ;  they  retired,  in  conse- 
quence, to  another,  slightly  in  rear  of  Bierge,  where  a  second  and 
not  less  defensible  position  was  taken  up ;  and  so  long  as  the 
bridge  remained  in  their  keeping  they  felt  that  they  should  be 
able  to  maintain  themselves. 

From  the  first  break  of  day  up  to  this  moment  (and  it  was  now 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning)  two  battalions  of  Kurmark  land- 
wehr,  to  whom  the  defence  of  Bierge  was  intrusted,  had  sus- 
tained and  repulsed  repeated  assaults  from  an  entire  Frencli 
division.  About  nine,  however,  or  perhaps  a  little  earlier,  num- 
bers began  to  tell :  and  the  village,  and  with  it  the  command  of 
the  passage  of  the  river,  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Thielmann,  of  course,  felt  that  his  line  was  no  longer  tenable. 
He  began  to  file  off,  covering  his  retreat  with  such  a  cloud  of 
skirmishers  as  checked  all  endeavor  on  the  part  of  the  French  to 
close  with  him  ;  and  he  sent,  at  the  same  time,  instructions  to  the 
officer  coinmmanding  in  Wavre,  that  both  the  town  and  the  vil- 
lage of  Bas  Wavre  should  be  abandoned.  Col.  Von  Zcpclm,  who 
commanded  in  the  former  place,  drew  off  without  the  smallest 


372  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxxm. 

molestation ;  and  four  regiments  of  cavalry  under  the  guidance 
of  Col.  Von  Marwitz,  interposing  between  him  and  his  pursuers, 
rendered  the  remainder  of  his  retreat  comparatively  secure. 
Nevertheless,  the  fighting  continued  sharply,  and  •with  loss  to 
both  parties,  till  past  eleven  o'clock,  when  Thielmann,  knowing 
that  Brussels  was  safe,  and  that  whether  he  kept  his  touch  to- 
wards Blucher  or  lost  it  could  be  henceforth  of  very  little  mo- 
ment, struck  oif  in  the  direction  of  Louvain.  At  a  place  called 
Achtenrode,  midway  between  Louvain  and  \Yavre,  he  once  more 
halted  and  formed  ;  the  French  having  followed,  with  their  cav- 
alry only,  as  far  as  the  Brussels  road,  and  placed  their  infantry 
en  polence  along  the  heights  of  La  Bavette. 

It  was  almost  noon  on  the  19th  ere  Grouchy  received  intelli- 
gence of  the  defeat  of  Napoleon,  and  the  entire  destruction  of 
his  army.  He  was  completely  struck  down  by  the  tidings.  Ncv 
crtheless  his  presence  of  mind  did  not  forsake  him  ;  for  he  knew 
that  it  had  become  necessary  to  act  on  his  own  discretion,  and  to 
do  so  promptly.  His  first  impulse  urged  him  to  march  towards 
the  late  field  of  battle,  and  to  fall  upon  the  rear  of  the  Allies  ; 
but  a  moment's  reflection  showed  that  out  of  such  a  rash  pro- 
ceeding no  good  could  arise,  and  that  his  only  chance  of  being 
able  to  serve  the  Emperor  and  his  country  hereafter  lay  in  ex- 
tricating his  corps  by  a  prompt  and  well-managed  retreat  from 
the  dangers  which  encompassed  it.  He  instantly  faced  about ; 
and  covering  himself,  as  well  as  he  could,  with  a  strong  rear- 
guard, took  the  road  to  Namur.  And  ho  did  not  enter  upon  it 
one  moment  too  soon. 

So  early  as  the  evening  of  the  18th,  Gen.  Pirch  received  orders 
to  push  with  his  corps  (the  2nd)  of  the  Prussian  army  from  the 
field  of  Warerloo  towards  Namur.  The  object  of  this  movement 
was  to  interpose  between  Grouchy  and  the  Sambre,  on  which  it 
•was  taken  for  granted  that  the  French  General  would  direct  his 
retreat.  And  for  a  while  Pirch  moved  as  men  do  who  are  in 
earnest — traversing  Moransal,  crossing  the  Genappe  at  Bous- 
seval,  and  passing  on,  over  the  Dyle,  to  Mcllery.  This  latter 
place  he  reached  about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  19th,  the  same  hour, 
or  nearly  the  same,  at  which  Grouchy  heard  of  the  defeat  of  the 


CHAP,  xxxin  ]  RETREAT  OP  GROUCHY.  273 

Emperor ;  but  be  could  not,  at  least  he  did  not  press  further. 
His  men  and  horses  began  to  be  much  jaded,  as  well  with  the  ex- 
ertions of  previous  days  as  with  the  long  night  march  of  the  18th  ; 
and  he  halted  in  order  that  they  might  rest  for  a  while,  and  cook 
aud  eat  such  provisions  as  the  surrounding  country  could  supply. 

Gen.  Pirch  had  been  directed  to  feel  for  Gen.  Thielmann  as  he 
went  on :  and  now,  after  a  few  hours  of  repose,  he  sent  out  a 
body  of  cavalry  towards  Mont  St.  Guibert,  to  effect  that  object. 
The  officer  in  command,  Lieut.  Col.  von  Sohr,  reached  Mont  St. 
Guibert  without  difficulty,  but  farther  he  could  not  go  ;  for  the 
defile  was  occupied  by  French  troops,  and  there  were  no  means 
of  getting  round  them.  He  accordingly  returned  to  Mellery, 
having  failed  to  obtain  information  of  Thielmann ;  and  the  re- 
pose of  the  bivouac  was  prolonged. 

Meanwhile  Grouchy  hastened  with  rapid  strides  towards  the 
Sambre.  He  sent  on  the  mass  of  his -cavalry  along  the  road  to 
Gembloux,  causing  the  reserve  artillery  and  all  the  wounded  to 
follow  in  their  track  ;  while  the  infantry  he  moved  in  two  divis- 
ions, in  such  a  line  as  that  it  might  strike  the  great  Namur 
road  at  Sombref.  At  the  same  time  he  was  not  unmindful  of 
the  necessity  of  deceiving  Thielmann,  and  even  holding  him  in 
check.  For  these  purposes  he-  kept  a  considerable  rear-guard  in 
Wavre  and  Lemale,  with  cavalry  pickets  which  were  thrown  out 
in  the  direction  of  the  Prussians ;  and  he  neither  withdrew  the 
former  nor  called  in  the  latter  till  the  evening  of  the  19th  was 
considerably  advanced.  These  dispositions,  as  well  as  the  iso- 
lated nature  of  his  own  position,  hindered  Thielmann  from  learn- 
ing till  towards  midnight  on  the  19th  that  Grouchy  had  actually 
retreated :  and  the  consequence  was,  that  though  he  began  the 
pursuit  at  five  o'clock  next  morning,  and  continued  it  with  great 
energy  all  day,  he  did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  the  enemy's  rear 
till  it  had  arrived  within  three  English  miles  of  Namur. 

It  was  well  for  Grouchy  that  he  took  time  by  the  forelock,  and 
better  still  that  he  had  in  Gen.  Pirch  an  enemy  not  quite  com- 
petent to  manage  the  business  which  had  been  intrusted  to  him. 
I  hid  this  latter  officer,  as  soon  as  the  cavalry  brought  back  their 
report,  got  his  men  under  arms,  and  pushed  on,  it  seems  im- 


274  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO,    [cn-r.  xxxm. 

possible  that  he  could  have  failed  to  gain  possession  of  the  line 
of  Grouchy's  retreat.  For  considering  that  Grouchy  did  not  quit 
La  Bavette  till  past  eleven  o'clock,  and  that  he  finally  evacuated 
Wavre  and  Lemale  late  in  the  evening,  it  is  clear  that  the  troops 
•whom  Col.  von  Sohr  saw  in  the  defile  of  Mont  St.  Guibert  could 
have  belonged  only  to  his  advanced-guard.  Pirch,  however,  was 
tired,  and  so  were  his  men.  lie  therefore  preferred  abiding 
where  he  was,  to  the  risk  of  overtaxing  the  energies  of  his  toops, 
it  might  be  to  no  purpose  ;  and  the  consequence  was  that  the  whole 
of  Grouchy's  corps  passed  within  a  few  miles  of  his  left  flank, 
which  did  not  make  the  slightest  endeavor  to  impede  or  molest 
the  march. 

The  consequence  to  Grouchy  of  this  remarkable  supineness  on 
Pirch's  part  was  that  he  had  both  roads  open  to  him.  He  eagerly 
entered  upon  them,  covered  each  of  his  columns  with  a  strong 
rear-guard,  and  was  within  the  intrenchmcnts  of  Namur  with  his 
main  body  ere  a  shot  could  be  fired  at  him.  Meanwhile  Thielmann 
pressed  after  him  by  way  of  Gembloux.  He  threw  out  all  his 
cavalry,  with  eight  pieces  of  horse  artillery,  giving  them  instruc- 
tions to  bring  the  enemy  to  action  wheresoever  he  might  be  over- 
taken ;  and  soon  after  leaving  Gembloux  behind,  it  seemed  to  the 
officer  in  command  as  if  the  opportunity  of  fulfilling  the  wishes 
of  his  chief  had  been  afforded.  Some  French  cavalry  were  seen  in 
a  sweep  of  the  road,  which  running  along  a  plain,  and  being  very 
straight,  affords  more  than  ordinary  facilities  of  observing  remote 
objects ;  and  the  Prussians  immediately  accelerated  their  pace, 
in  the  hope  of  coming  up  with  them ;  but  in  this  they  were  dis- 
appointed. It  was  not  Grouchy's  game  to  fight,  if  a  battle  could 
be  avoided,  and  his  rear-guard  of  cavalry  broke,  in  consequence, 
into  a  trot,  and  escaped. 

Animated  by  the  hope  of  overtaking  the  fugitives,  and  encour- 
aged to  increased  exertions  by  Col.  von  Marwitz,  the  Prussians 
pushed  on.  They  arrived,  in  due  time,  near  a  village  which  clus- 
ters round  the  base  of  the  heights  behind  which,  at  a  distance  of 
three  miles,  Namur  is  situated  ;  and  beheld  a  couple  of  battalions, 
with  three  regiments  of  cavalry  and  nine  guns,  formed  on  the 
summit  in  order  of  battle.  The  Prussian  battery  immediately 


CHAP,  xxxiu.]  •  RETREAT  OP  GROUCHY.  275 

unlimbered  and  opened  its  fire,  -while  the  two  cavalry  brigades, 
diverging  to  the  right  and  left,  endeavored  to  turn  the  enemy's 
position  on  both  flanks.  One  of  these  movements  enabled  a  reg- 
iment of  Prussian  lancers  to  charge  a  body  of  French  horse,  which 
received  its  opponents  with  a  fire  of  carbines,  and  was  instantly 
overthrown.  At  the  same  time  another  lancer  regiment  attacked 
the  French  guns,  three  of  which  were  taken  ;  but  the  infantry 
could  not  be  touched.  The  battalions  threw  themselves  into  the 
woods,  which  covered  the  entire  slope  of  the  hill  on  the  further 
side  ;  and  not  only  made  good  their  own  retreat  without  loss,  but 
restrained  and  finally  repulsed  every  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 
pursuers  to  overtake  their  less  orderly  comrades. 

And  now,  after  Thielmann  had  accomplished  his  long  march, 
and  was  fairly  in  contact  with  the  rear  of  Grouchy's  light  column, 
Pirch  made  his  appearance  in  full  pursuit  of  twelve  French  bat- 
talions, which,  with  two  batteries,  and  wholly  unsupported  by 
cavalry,  followed  the  route  from  Sombrcf  to  Namur.  How  it 
came  to  pass  that  Pirch  did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  this  col- 
umn early  in  the  day  has  never  yet  been  satisfactorily  explained. 
He  seems,  in  spite  of  his  backwardness  to  break  up  the  bivouac 
of  Mellery,  to  have  caught  sight  of  the  mass  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  he  kept  it  in  view  during  several  hours.  But  somehow 
or  another  the  interval  between  the  pursuers  and  the  pursued 
was  never  diminished,  at  least  in  the  direct  line  of  march  which 
Pirch,  with  his  infantry,  followed.  The  case  was  somewhat  dif- 
ferent as  regarded  Lieut.  Col.  von  Sohr.  Having  been  detached 
towards  Gcmbloux  with  his  own  cavalry  brigade,  three  battalions 
of  infantry,  and  a  battery  of  horse  artillery,  this  officer  soon 
found  out  that  Thielmann  was.  on  that  road  before  him;  and 
struck  off  in  consequence  into  thg  chaussee  which  passes  through 
Sombref,  making  strenuous  exertions  to  head  the  column  in  its 
retreat.  At  a  place  called  Temploux  he  came  upon  two  battal- 
ions, some  cavalry,  and  four  guns.  He  instantly  attacked ;  and 
being  supported  by  a  cannonade  from  Thielmann,  who  was  well 
to  the  front,  and  indefatigable  in  his  endeavors  to  strike  home, 
he  carried  all  before  him. 

The  French  foil  bank  in  disorder,  but  their  main  body  was  by 


27G  STORY  OP  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.-  [CHAP.  xxxm. 

this  time  safe ;  and  a  strong  rear-guard — which  occupied  the 
fortified  suburb  of  Nainur — checked  the  further  progress  of  the 
Prussians.  Indeed,  it  is  but  just  towards  Grouchy  to  state,  that 
the  whole  of  his  retreat,  from  the  moment  that  intelligence 
reached  him  of  Napoleon's  overthrow,  was  conducted  with  ad- 
mirable skill.  The  pursuers,  however,  were  not  men  to  be  put 
off  by  ordinary  hindrances.  Pirch  soon  arrived,  with  the  whole 
of  his  corps,  and  made  dispositions  for  a  general  attack.  He 
formed  his  people  into  three  columns,  and  about  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  let  them  loose  ;  and  such  was  their  ardor,  that  in 
less  than  two  hours  the  French  were  driven  back  from  the  posi- 
tion which  they  had  taken  up,  and  chased  into  the  town.  A  bold 
attempt  was  made  to  burst  open  one  of  the  gates,  but  it  failed  ; 
and  the  Prussians,  after  losing  in  killed  and  wounded  considera- 
bly more  than  1500  men,  fell  back  again  upon  the  suburb. 

If  Pirch  had  been  somewhat  negligent  in  the  commencement 
of  his  operations,  it  seemed  as  if  he  were  determined,  now  that  he 
had  come  fairly  into  collision  with  the  enemy,  to  give  them  no 
rest.  He  rallied  his  beaten  columns,  strengthened  them  with 
fresh  troops  from  the  reserve,  and  sent  them  again  to  the  attack 
of  the  town  which  this  time  they  carried.  They  did  not  establish 
themselves  on  any  of  the  ramparts,  however,  till  Grouchy  had 
effected  the  only  purpose  which  he  desired  to  serve  by  the  defence 
of  Namur.  The  whole  of  the  French  troops,  infantry,  cavalry, 
and  artillery,  filed  across  the  barricaded  bridge,  and  were  placed 
on  the  further  side  of  the  Sambre,  while  the  battalions  which 
fought  only  to  secure  this  object  no  sooner  became  aware  that 
their  comrades  were  safe,  than  they  in  like  manner  escaped. 
They  had  taken  the  precaution  strongly  to  barricade  the  gates, 
and  to  leave  the  drawbridges  raised ;  and  as  the  Prussians  had 
neither  battering-guns  nor  scaling-ladders  with  them,  some  time 
was  necessary,  even  after  resistance  had  ceased,  to  carry  them 
over  the  defences  of  the  place.  There  is  no  denying  that  Grou- 
chy's  retreat  redounded  greatly  to  his  honor,  and  in  some  sort 
atoned  for  the  many  and  grave  blunders  which  characterized  his 
advance. 


JHAP.  xxxiv.]         PURSUIT  BY  THE  PRUSSIANS.  277 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

Advance  of  tlr.  English  Army. 

WHILE  Grouchy  was  thus  occupied  in  withdrawing  his  corps 
by  rapid,  yet  regular  marches  from  the  front,  the  grand  army  had 
utterly  dissolved  itself.  Whole  brigades  throwing  away  their 
arms,  became  a  mere  helpless  throng,  and  sought  no  more  to  put 
on  even  the  semblance  of  a  compact  or  disciplined  array.  Rear- 
guard there  was  none.  One  regiment  of  cavalry,  and  only  one, 
moved  at  a  slow  pace,  and,  if  common  report  may  be  credited,  it 
preserved  its  order  as  a  body-guard  to  the  Emperor.  But,  except 
in  this  instance,  the  confusion  surpassed  all  that  had  ever  before 
been  witnessed  in  modern  warfare,  and  there  was  no  power  in  any 
one  to  allay  it.  So  sudden,  indeed,  and  so  deadly  came  the  panic 
on  these  tried  Carriers,  that  Vivian's  cavalry,  and  the  more  advan- 
ced of  the  infantry  brigades,  passed  about  10.000  stand  of  arms, 
which  their  owners  had  left  without  having  fired  a  shot.  And,  in 
truth,  this  is  little  to  be  wondered  at.  A  defeat  so  decisive  as  that 
which  the  whole  French  line  had  sustained,  when  it  befalls  just 
as  the  twilight  has  deepened  into  night,  never  fails,  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances,  to  prove  ruinous  ;  for  both  the  phys- 
ical powers  and  the  vital  energies  of  the  defeated  are  by  this  time 
usually  overstrained,  and  darkness  gives  additional  force  to  what- 
ever obstacles  either  external  objects  or  their  own  alarmed  imag- 
inations may  cast  in  their  way.  But  the  night  of  the  18th  of 
June,  brought  with  it  sources  of  trouble  to  the  broken  French 
peculiarly  its  own.  The  Prussians  were  already  in  the  field,  and 
so  rapid  was  their  advance  along  aline  perpendicular  to  that  of  tho 
English,  that  the  latter,  while  closing  with  their  adversaries  at 
La  Belle- Alliance,  suffered  from  the  fire  of  the  former.  More- 
over, the  Prussians  came  up  comparatively  fresh,  and  eager  to 
avenge  the  reverses  of  a  former  day.  When,  therefore,  it  was 


878  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxiv. 

proposed  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  that  to  them  should  be  in- 
trusted  the  management  of  the  pursuit,  their  gallant  old  leader 
accepted  the  charge  as  a  privilege.  His  orders  were  that  neither 
man  nor  horse  should  take  rest,  and  they  were  faithfully  obeyed. 
The  Prussian  cavalry,  saluting  Vivian's  brigade  with  a  cheer, 
were  plunged  into  the  heart  of  the  disorderly  masses,  and  giving 
no  quarter,  or  nest  to  none,  soon  strewed  the  wayside  with  car- 
casses. One  hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  cannon  had  been  taken 
by  the  British  army  in  the  field ;  an  equal  number  of  guns,  with 
large  quantities  of  baggage,  including  that  of  Napoleon  himself, 
as  well  as  his  travelling-carriage,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Prus- 
sians in  the  course  of  that  night  and  the  following  day. 

It  is  impossible  to  state  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  the  extent 
of  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  sustained  by  the  French  army  in 
the  battle  of  Waterloo.  It  is  equally  out  of  the  question  to  haz- 
ard a  conjecture  in  regard  to  the  numbers  who  disbanded  them- 
selves as  soon  as  the  issue  of  the  struggle  became  apparent.  The 
whole  face  of  the  country,  to  a  distance  of  many  leagues,  was  cov- 
ered with  men  in  military  uniforms,  yet  destitute  of  arms,  who, 
through  woods  and  thickets,  and  by  unfrequented  paths  and  diffi- 
cult cross-roads,  made  their  way  as  well  as  they  could  towards 
their  own  homes.  Some  thousands,  however,  still  kept  together ; 
and  in  the  village  of  Genappe  a  portion  of  them  attempted  to 
arrest  the  progress  of  their  pursuers.  But  these  would  not  be 
deterred.  They  broke  through  the  barriers  which  the  enemy 
had  thrown  up,  charged  and  captured  a  battery  of  cannon,  and 
chased  about  3000  men — all  that  had  regained  some  show  of  con- 
sistency— pell  mcll  beyond  the  defile,  and  over  the  field  of  Quatrc 
Bras. 

As  to  Napoleon  himself,  he  never  drew  bridle  till  he  reached 
Charlerot.  He  came  into  the  town  just  as  the  dawn  of  the  19th 
was  breaking,  and  spoke  to  his  immediate  attendants  about  halt- 
ing to  collect  the  fugitives :  but  his  own  strength  was  exhausted, 
and  he  retired  to  rest.  One  hour  of  broken  sleep  had  not,  how- 
ever, been  snatched,  ere  the  alarm  spread  that  the  Prussians  were 
approaching,  and  he  instantly  mounted  his  horse  again  and  con- 
tinued his  flight.  His  apologists  have  stated  that  his  great  anx- 


CHAP,  xxxiv.]  F  LIGHT  OF  NAPOLEON.  279 

iety  was  to  fall  in  with  Grouchy's  corps,  and  that  lie  dreamed 
even  then  of  staying  the  tide  of  war,  and  gaining  time  for  the 
formation  of  a  new  army — which  they  seem  to  think  would  not 
have  been  impossible.  It  is  no  easy  matter  to  ascertain  the  se- 
cret thoughts  and  designs  of  any  one ;  but  this  much  is  certain, 
that  Napoleon  did  not  find,  and  hardly  can  be  said  to  have 
sought,  an  opportunity  of  acting  upon  these  plans.  He  quitted 
Charleroi  within  an  hour  from  his  entrance  into  it,  and  made  his 
next  halt  at  Laon. 

Though  the  pursuit  of  the  Prussians  was  close  and  rapid, 
it  must  not  therefore  be  supposed  that  there  was  any  lack  of  or- 
der or  generalship  in  their  manner  of  conducting  it.  -Bliicher 
had  had  too  much  experience  in  war  to  throw  the  game  out  of  his 
own  hands  after  it  was  won ;  and  hence,  though  he  let  loose  his 
cavalry  with  the  comprehensive  command  that  they  were  to  keep 
up  with  the  enemy  and  give  them  no  respite,  he  took  care  to  sup- 
port his  troopers  in  advance  with  strong  reserves  of  infantry. 
The  cavalry  were  in  the  saddle  all  night ;  they  rode  through  Ge- 
nappe,  cut  to  pieces  everything  that  withstood  them,  scattered  a 
crowd  of  fugitives  over  the  face  of  the  country,  and  halted  at  last, 
between  Frasne  and  Mallet,  only  because  their  horses  could  go 
no  further.  The  4th  infantry  corps  marched  after  them,  gather- 
ing up  stragglers  as  it  went  along,  and  reaching  Genappe  about 
an  hour  before  midnight,  lay  down  awhile  to  rest.  But  the  dawn 
of  the  19th  saw  them  all  astir  again  ;  and  while  the  cavalry  rode 
straight  for  Charleroi,  the  infantry  obliqued  on  the  road  to  Mons. 
The  latter  reached  Fontaine  1'Eveque,  where  it  bivouacked,  send- 
ing patrols  in  the  direction  both  of  Mons  and  Thuin  j  the  former 
held  on  towards  Philippeville,  after  having  detached  a  brigade 
towards  Wavre  for  the  purpose  of  observing  Grouchy,  and  com- 
municating with  Thielmann,  or  such  troops  as  he  might  have 
thrown  out  to  seek  for  the  main  army.  By  and  by  the  1st  corps, 
which  had  acted  hitherto  as  a  reserve  to  the  4th,  came  into  the 
line.  It  kept  the  high  road  to  Charleroi,  passing  the  Sambro 
there,  and  at  Chatelet  and  Marchienne,  without  falling  in  with 
an  enemy  ;  for,  in  truth,  with  the  exception  of  Grouchy's  force, 
there  was  no  longer  an  enemy  to  be  encountered,  and  of  him  the 


280  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxiv. 

reconnoitering  parties,  which  penetrated  as  far  to  the  right  aa 
Fleurus,  did  not  succeed  in^seeing  anything. 

It  would  be  hard  to  say  what  were  really  the  feelings  of  Napo- 
leon at  this  crisis.  That  he  halted  in  Philippeville  for  four  hours, 
and  sent  off  couriers  with  dispatches  to  Generals  Rapp,  Lecourbe, 
and  Lamarque,  directing  them  to  march  straight  upon  Paris,  is 
certain.  It  is  equally  true  that  he  expressed  great  anxiety  to  re- 
unite himself  with  Grouchy ;  and  the  combination  of  the  circum- 
stances, as  well  as  the  general  tone  of  his  conversation,  led  such 
as  were  in  his  confidence  to  assume  that  he  still  meditated  a  pro- 
longation of  the  struggle.  But  if  he  did,  the  idea  never  had  time 
to  mature  itself  Fresh  alarms  constantly  overtook  him,  where- 
upon he  became  restless  and  uneasy.  He  contented  himself, 
therefore,  with  issuing  orders  to  the  commandants  of  the  various 
fortresses,  that  they  should  defend  themselves  to  the  last  extrem- 
ity ;  and  having  directed  Soult  to  abide  at  Philippeville  as  long 
as  possible,  and  then  to  assemble  such  troops  as  might  arrive  and 
lead  them  to  Laon,  he  ordered  post-horses  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  and  continued  his  journey  towards  the  latter  place. 

Meanwhile  the  Anglo-Belgian  army  lay  on  its  arms  in  the  field 
which  its  valor  had  won.  Long  lines  of  fires  marked  the  bivouac, 
round  which,  though  the  night  was  not  cold,  men  gladly  gathered, 
most  of  whom  would  have  been  much  more  contented  with  their 
lot  had  the  provisions,  of  which  they  stood  sorely  in  need,  ar- 
rived. But  no  provisions  came,  nor  were  the  means  at  hand  to 
send  them  forward.  They  therefore  who  had  halted  on  the  ridge, 
slept  supperless  in  the  fields  or  among  the  houses  of  La  Belle 
Alliance  ;  others,  including  portions  of  the  cavalry,  having  pene- 
trated a  good  way  farther,  found  whole  villages  of  huts,  which  the 
French  in  the  course  of  the  previous  night  had  erected  ;  and 
scattered  over  their  floors  were  numerous  fragments  of  meat 
partly  raw,  partly  half-cooked,  which  in  the  hurry  of  some  move- 
ment had  been  thrown  away.  The  British  soldiers  wore  very 
hungry,  but  they  could  not  bring  themselves  to  taste  these  viands. 
"  We  found,"  says  a  private  of  one  of  the  cavalry  regiments, 
"  raw  meat  of  every  description  in  abundance — beef,  pork,  and 
mutton  ;  but  it  had  been  so  beaten  about  in  the  hurry  of  the 


CHAP,  xxxiv.]    ASPECT  OF  THE  FIELD  OF  BATTLE.  2«1 

strife,  and  was  so  vilely  dressed — the  very  bides  being  in  many 
instances  left  upon  the  morsels,  and  these  but  indifferently  bled 
— that,  faint  as  we  were  for  lack  of  food,  we  could  not  taste  it. 
We  flung  it  from  us  in  disgust,  and  refused  to  dress  it."  Hun- 
ger, however,  had  its  way — as  it  always  will,  even  at  the  close  of  a 
ten  hours'  battle— and  if  a  little  marauding  ensued,  let  not  the 
individuals  who  entered  upon  it  be  too  severely  blamed.  The 
Commissaries  were  scarcely  in  the  campaign  of  1815  what  they 
used  to  be  during  the  three  years  which  preceded  it. 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  of  the  19th  the  allied  troops 
got  under  arms.  No  movement  in  advance  was,  however,  made  ; 
for  the  confusion  in  the  rear  had  well  nigh  equalled  that  which 
had  prevailed  among  the  broken  masses  of  the  enemy.  Supplies 
were,  therefore,  slow  of  arriving  ;  but  they  came  at  last,  and  after 
a  hearty  but  rude  meal  the  columns  of  march  were  formed.  It 
was  a  wild,  strange,  and  melancholy  scene  that  spread  itself  out 
beneath  the  eyes  of  the  victors.  From  the  ridge  above  La  Belle 
Alliance  each  regiment  and  brigade  as  it  came  up  obtained  a  com- 
plete view  of  the  whole  field  of  battle.  The  sun,  too,  was  shining 
brightly,  and  a  clear  blue  sky  overhung  them  there  ;  but  it  hung 
likewise  over  the  wreck  of  three  great  armies,  and  looked  down 
upon  terrible  things.  Far  and  near,  wherever  the  battle  had  raged, 
the  corn  was  not  only  trodden  down,  but  beaten  into  the  clay. 
Long  ruts  showed  where  artillery  had  traversed  ;  deep  prints  in 
the  soil  spoke  of  the  charge  of  cavalry;  and  the  dead  lay  in 
masses.  It  was  not  here,  as  in  other  battle-fields,  that  groups  of 
ten  or  less,  with  single  carcasses  scattered  over  an  extended 
ground,  spoke  of  the  game  of  war  played  out.  The  face  of  the 
English  position  was  covered ;  whole  ranks,  here  and  there,  as  it 
seemed,  entire  battalions,  having  died  at  their  posts ;  while  the 
slope  beneath  was  strewed  with  all  manner  of  weapons.  There 
French  horsemen  lay  side  by  side  with  their  dismounted  com- 
rades. There  stood  guns,  some,  as  it  were,  yet  in  position,  others 
upset  or  faced  round,  with  the  brave  men  who  served  them  four- 
and-tweuty  hours  earlier  lifeless  beside  them.  Nor  did  the  eye 
of  the  gazer  fail,  amid  these  many-colored  relics,  to  discover  the 
remains  of  those  magnificent  heavy  brigades  which  had  wrought 


282  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  XXXIY. 

such  wonders  in  the  hour  of  strife.  All  along  the  face  of  tho 
hill,  from  its  summit  down  into  the  valley,  and  farther  on  in  the 
ascent  towards  the  French  line,  the  surface  of  the  ground  was 
dotted  with  soldiers  of  the  Life  Guards,  the  Blues,  and,  in  a 
greater  number,  of  the  Royals,  the  Greys,  and  the  Inniskillens, 
who,  carried  away  by  their  own  eagerness,  had  left  all  support 
behind,  and  died,  many  of  them,  in  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  posi- 
tion. Moreover,  though  fatigue-parties  were  out  in  all  directions, 
and  the  melancholy  spring-wagons  were  busy  in  the  prosecution 
of  their  melancholy  work,  feeble  movements  of  limbs  or  attempts 
to  rise  to  a  sitting  posture  pointed  out  where  the  wounded  still 
lay  thick  among  the  dead.  Nor  must  we  omit,  while  touching  on 
this  ghastly  subject,  to  speak  of  the  wounded  horses,  which  stood 
or  moved  about  slowly  and  staggeringly  in  countless  numbers. 
The  reader  might  suppose  that  where  human  suffering  is  so  rife 
the  sufferings  of  inferior  animals,  however  great,  would  escape 
observation  ;  but  it  is  not  so.  We  defy  the  most  callous  to  look 
with  indifference  upon  the  horses  which  have  been  struck  by  shot, 
yet  survive  the  blow.  For  there  is  such  an  air  of  meek  submis- 
sion about  these  creatures — they  drag  their  mangled  frames 
about  so  uncomplainingly,  yet  with  such  manifest  anguish,  that 
your  heart  bleeds  for  them,  even  while  its  feelings  are  given  up 
in  the  main  to  deeper  griefs. 

Such  were  some  of  the  spectacles  that  met  the  gaze  of  the 
British  troops  as  they  looked  back  from  the  heights  of  La  Belle 
Alliance  on  the  ground  which  they  had  maintained  throughout 
the  18th.  Neither  was  the  scene  much  diversified  in  its  nature 
as  they  passed  beyond  it.  Death  had  been  quite  as  busy  here  as 
elsewhere,  only  it  seemed  as  if  he  had  smitten  the  men  of  one 
nation  and  no  more  ;  for  almost  all  the  bodies  which  they  passed 
were  those  of  French  soldiers.  Moreover,  there  were  evi- 
dences of  panic,  such  as  could  not  be  traced  on  any  part  of  the 
battle-field,  properly  so  called.  Doubtless,  the  arms  both  of  the 
dying  and  the  dead  lay  wherever  they  had  last  been  wielded,  and 
these  were  scattered  in  profusion  enough  over  every  foot  of  ground 
from  the  crest  of  one  position  to  that  of  the  other.  But  not  a 
musket  or  sword  seemed  to  have  been  cast  away.  It  was  differ- 


CHAP,  xxxiv.]    REPORT  OF  THE  LOSS  TO  WELLINGTON.  283 

cnt  in  the  fields  and  along  the  roads  by  which  the  columns  now 
moved.  Whole  battalions  must  have  thrown  down  their  arms  and 
disencumbered  themselves  of  knapsacks  and  accoutrements,  the 
better  to  expedite  their  flight ;  while  tumbrils  and  ammunition- 
carts  stood  or  lay  where  the  drivers,  forgetful  of  all  but  personal 
security,  had  abandoned  them.  Here  and  there,  too,  in  front  as 
well  as  in  rear,  the  curling  smoke  continued  to  indicate  the  spot 
where,  a  few  days  previously,  cottage  or  farmstead  had  stood. 
As  to  Hougomont,  it  was  a  mere  heap  of  ruins.  La  Haytf-Sainte 
also  lay  in  its  ashes,  and  not  a  few  of  the  houses  which  had  shel- 
tered the  French  from  the  storm  of  the  17th  seemed  to  have 
shared  the  same  fate. 

I  have  already  said  that  it  was  late,  long  past  midnight,  when 
the  Duke  lay  down.  He  had  not  found  time  so  much  as  to  wash 
his  face  or  his  hands  ;  but  overcome  with  fatigue  threw  himself, 
after  finishing  his  dispatches,  on  his  bed.  He  had  seen  Dr.  Hume, 
and  desired  him  to  come  punctually  at  seven  in  the  morning  with 
his  report ;  and  the  latter,  who  took  no  rest,  but  spent  the  night 
beside  the  wounded,  came  at  the  hour  appointed.  He  knocked  at 
the  Duke's  door  but  received  no  answer.  He  lifted  the  latch  and 
looked  in,  and  seeing  the  Field-Marshal  in  a  sound  sleep,  could  not 
find  in  his  heart  to  awaken  him.  By  and  by,  however,  reflecting  on 
the  importance  of  time  to  a  man  in  the  Duke's  high  situation,  and 
being  well  aware  that  it  formed  no  article  in  his  Grace's  code  to 
prefer  personal  indulgence  of  any  sort  to  public  duty,  he  proceeded 
to  the  bedside  and  roused  the  sleeper.  The  Duke  sat  up  in  his  bed ; 
his  face  unshaven,  and  covered  with  the  dust  and  smoke  of  yester- 
day's battle,  presented  a  rather  strange  appearance ;  yet  his  senses 
were  collected,  and  in  amoment  he  desired  Hume  to  make  his  state- 
ment. The  latter  produced  his  list  and  began  to  read.  But  when, 
as  he  proceeded,  name  after  name  came  out — this  as  of  one  dead,  the 
other  as  of  one  dying — his  voice  failed  him  ;  and  looking  up  he  saw 
that  the  Duke  was  in  an  agony  of  grief.  The  tears  chased  one 
another  from  his  Grace's  eyes,  making  deep  visible  furrows  in  the 
soldier's  cheeks,  and  at  last  he  threw  himself  back  upon  his  pillow 
and  groaned  aloud.  "  What  glory  can  pay  for  all  that  ?"  he 
cried  ;  "  what  victory  is  not  too  dearly  purchased  at  such  a  coat  ?" 


2»4  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CH.»P.  xxxiv. 

Hume  closed  up  his  paper,  unable  to  reply,  and  quitting  the 
apartment,  left  the  Duke  to  make  his  toilet.  This  was  done  in 
a  frame  of  mind  which  none  except  the  individual,  and  not  even 
he,  could  undertake  to  describe  ;  yet  the  storm  passed  off,  and 
when  he  appeared  that  day  in  public,  the  leader  of  the  allied 
armies  was  as  self-possessed  as  he  had  ever  been.  The  truth  is, 
that  they  who  speak  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  as  gifted  with 
iron  nerves  and  a  heart  which  is  not  easily  moved,  know  not  what 
they  say.  The  difference  between  him  and  other  men  is  the 
same  which  in  all  ages  has  distinguished  the  hero  from  one  of  the 
crowd.  With  ordinary  men  feeling,  as  often  as  it  is  appealed  to. 
controls  reason  for  a  while,  and  is  with  difficulty  subdued  With 
great  men,  and  surely  the  Duke  is  of  the  greatest,  reason  exerts 
itself  in  the  first  instance  to  control  feeling  and  to  keep  it  in  its 
proper  place.  But  feeling  is  not  therefore  extinct  in  them,  as 
was  shown  in  the  personal  bearing  of  the  Duke  on  the  morning 
of  the  19th  of  June,  and  is  still  apparent  in  the  tone  of  the  let- 
ters from  which  extracts  have  elsewhere  been  given.  His  whole 
moral  being  was  shaken  and  torn  by  the  intensity  of  his  grief  for 
the  loss  and  the  sufferings  of  his  friends,  yet  he  never  for  a  mo- 
incnt  permitted  feeling  to  cast  a  shadow  over  judgment,  or  ceased 
to  be,  to  the  minutest  particular,  master  of  himself.  He  issued 
all  his  orders  with  the  same  calmness  and  deliberation  which 
characterized  his  proceedings  at  other  times.  The  routes  which 
the  columns  were  to  follow,  the  discipline  that  was  to  be  observed 
upon  the  march,  the  necessary  means  of  preserving  this  discipline, 
and  the  purposes  which  it  was  designed  to  serve,  were  all  ex- 
plained and  set  forth  in  the  memoranda  which  he  drew  up  ere 
quitting  his  chamber.  And  when  he  rode  out  of  the  court-yard 
of  his  house,  followed  by  his  staff  and  orderlies,  no  one  could 
have  told  from  his  manner  or  the  expression  of  his  countenance 
that  anything  extraordinary  had  occurred. 

The  first  movement  of  the  allied  armies  carried  them  across 
from  the  Charleroi  to  the  Nivelles  road.  Here  the  corps  of 
Prince  Frederick  of  Prussia  had  been  directed  to  join,  and  the 
whole  proceeded  by  a  route  divergent  from  that  on  which  the 
Prussians  were  marching,  yet  having  with  it  an  easy  commaui- 


;UAP.  xxxv.]   ENTRANCE  OF  THE  ALLIES  INTO  FRANCE.         285 

cation.  They  encountered  no  opposition  whatever  ;  not  so  much 
as  a  picket  or  straggling  party  of  the  enemy  made  its  appear- 
ance throughout  the  day,  and  in  proportion  as  the  distance  from 
the  scene  of  the  late  operations  increased  the  traces  of  war  be- 
came less  frequent.  That  night  the  Duke  of  Wellington  fixed 
his  head-quarters  in  Nivelles ;  and  his  army,  grievously  di- 
minished in  numbers,  yet  full  of  confidence  and  flushed  with  vic- 
tory, bivouacked  round  him. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

Entrance  into  France — Abdication  of  Napoleon. 

A  GRKAT  battle  had  been  won,  but  the  war  was  not  yet 
ended  ;  neither  could  any  one  pretend  to  fortell  the  effect  which 
might  be  produced  on  the  public  mind  of  France  by  tidings  of 
the  destruction  of  the  Grand  Army.  A  people  so  fickle,  yet  in 
their  own  way  so  deeply  imbued  with  the  love  of  country,  might 
rally  round  the  defeated  Emperor,  and  re-enact  the  scenes  which 
gave  their*  character  to  the  earlier  campaigns  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  Or,  if  they  set  aside  the  individual,  of  whom  and 
of  his  iron  rule  the  respectable  classes  were  understood  to  be 
weary,  what  reason  was  there  to  be  assured  that,  for  the  sake  of 
some  other  idol,  or  under  the  pretence  of  maintaining  the  na- 
tional independence,  they  would  not  arm  the  whole  population  of 
the  country,  and  fight  to  the  last  extremity  ?  It  was  well  known 
th'at  numbers  who  objected  to  Napoleon's  return  from  Elba,  ere 
it  took  place,  had  acceded  to  his  cause  merely  through  their  ab- 
horrence of  foreign  dictation.  It  was  equally  certain  that  both 
these  persons,  and  the  more  enthusiastic  of  his  partisans,  ex- 
pccted  nothing  from  the  Allies  in  the  event  of  a  second  march  to 
Paris,  except  the  utmost  severity  of  conquest.  The  plunder  of 
the  capital,  with  heavy  contributions  from  its  inhabitants,  were 
the  least  of  the  evils  to  which  they  looked  forward ;  for  it  was 


280  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.     [CHAP.  xxxv. 

whispered  timidly,  in  circles  supposed  to  be  well  informed,  that 
a  plan  for  the  partition  of  France  itself  was  under  consideration. 
Now  the  dismemberment  of  France  would  never  be  submitted  to 
till  the  entire  inability  of  Frenchmen  to  hinder  it  had  been  de- 
monstrated ;  and  though  there  was  nothing  to  prove  that  at  this 
period,  at  least,  any  such  impolitic  design  had  entered  into  the 
councils  of  the  Allies,  still  the  least  suspicion  that  such  a  thing 
was  thought  of  might  drive  the  French  nation  to  despair.  Where- 
fore the  Duke  of  Wellington,  as.  prudent  as  he  was  enterprising, 
determined  to  conduct  his  future  operations  as  he  had  done  his 
former  invasion  of  France,  by  establishing  for  himself  a  secure 
base  on  which  to  lean ;  by  preserving  among  the  troops  com- 
posing his  motley  army  the  strictest  discipline,  and  guarding,  as 
far  as  could  be  done,  the  inhabitants  of  the  invaded  country  from 
outrage. 

Acting  in  this  wise  spirit,  he  issued  to  the  army  the  General 
Order  of  which  a  copy  is  subjoined : — 

"  GENERAL  ORDER. 

"  Xivelles,  '20th  June,  1815. 

"  As  the  army  is  about  to  enter  the  French  territory,  the  troops  of  the  nations 
which  are  at  present  under  the  command  of  Field  Marshal  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington are  desired  to  recollect  that  their  respective  Sovereigns  are  the  allies 
of  His  Majesty  the  King  of  France,  and  that  France  ought  therefore  to  be 
treated  as  a  friendly  country.  It  is  therefore  required  that  nothing  should  be 
taken,  either  by  officers  or  soldiers,  for  which  payment  be  not  made.  The 
Commissaries  of  the  army  will  provide  for  the  wants  of  the  troops  in  the  usual 
manner ;  and  it  is  not  permitted  either  to  soldiers  or  officers  to  extort  contribu- 
tions. The  Commissaries  will  be  authorized,  either  by  the  Field  Marshal  or 
by  the  Generals  who  command  the  troops  of  the  respective  nations,  in  cases 
where  their  provisions  are  not  supplied  by  an  English  Commissary,  to  make 
the  proper  requisitions,  for  which,  regular  receipts  will  be  given  ;  and  it  must 
be  distinctly  understood  that  they  will  themselves  be  held  responsible  for 
whatever  they  obtain,  in  the  way  of  requisition,  from  the  inhabitants  of 
France,  in  the  same  manner  in  which  they  would  be  esteemed  accountable 
for  purchases  made  for  their  own  Government  in  the  several  dominions  to 
which  they  belong." 

The  better  to  support  his  own  policy  in  regard  to  this  matter 
and  as  a  guard  to  the  property  and  persons  of  individuals,  the 
Duke  proceeded  to  organize  a  military  police,  which  proved  it- 


CUAP.  xxxv.]    ENTRANCE  OP  THE  ALLIES  INTO  FRANCE.         287 

self  on  various  occasions  eminently  useful,  and  rarely  abused  its 
trust.  All  British  armies  are  attended  in  the  field  by  Provosts 
and  their  guards;  and  the  powers  of  punishmcut  committed  to 
these  functionaries  arc  as  summary  as  they  are  stern  ;  but  a  Pro- 
vost, like  a  magistrate  in  civil  life,  cannot  be  in  more  than  one 
place  at  a  time  ;  and  where  he  himself  is  not  present,  his  influ- 
ence is  necessarily  in  abeyance.  The  Duke  brought  to  the  aid 
of  this  functionary  in  the  Peninsula  a  body  of  trustworthy  sol- 
diers, who,  being  formed  into  troops,  became  the  Staff-corps  of 
cavalry.  At  the  breaking  up  of  the  Peninsular  army,  the  cavalry 
staff-corps  was  dissolved,  and  up  to  the  present  moment  no  occa> 
sion  to  re-establish  it  had  arisen  ;  but  now  that  he  was  about  to 
penetrate  across  the  frontier,  it  was  felt  by  the  Commander- 
in-chief  that  the  system  must  be  revived.  Accordingly,  the  offi- 
cers in  command  of  the  several  regiments  of  cavalry  were  de- 
sired to  select  from  their  respective  corps  three  privates  on  whom 
they  could  depend ;  and  the  individuals  thus  chosen  were  put 
under  the  orders  of  sergeants,  at  the  rate  of  one  for  each  brigade. 
It  became  the  duty  of  these  persons  to  keep  the  peace  on  the  line 
of  march,  and  to  a  wide  extent  on  each  side  of  it.  They  were 
directed  to  flank  the  several  columns,  and  to  bring  up  the  rear ; 
to  protect  villages  and  detached  houses  ;  not  to  punish  on  their 
own  responsibility  marauders,  however  daring,  but  to  arrest  and 
hand  them  over  to  the  proper  authorities.  And  the  better  to  in- 
sure to  them  the  respect  of  their  comrades,  they  received  each  a 
badge  of  office — namely,  a  scarlet  belt,  which  the  soldier  passed 
over  his  right  shoulder,  and  of  which  the  army  was  by  general 
order  made  to  understand  that  it  protected  the  wearer  against 
violence,  and  rendered  doubly  criminal  every  attempt  to  resist  or 
interrupt  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Having  settled  this  point,  the  Duke  proceeded  to  draw  up  a 
proclamation,  which  he  sent  on  for  general  circulation  through 
the  frontier  towns  and  villages.  It  ran  thus  : — 

"  I  desire  the  French  people  to  understand  that  I  enter  their  country  at  the 
head  of  an  army  heretofore  victorious,  not  as  an  enemy  (except  to  the 
usurper,  declared  to  be  an  enemy  to  the  human  race,  with  whom  neither  truce 
nor  treaty  can  be  maintained),  but  "to  us.:i-;t  th'/m  in  casting  off  the  iron  yoke 


288  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxxr. 

with  which  they  are  oppressed.  I  have  given  orders  to  my  army  to  this  eflfcct, 
and  I  request  that  every  infraction  of  them  may  be  reported  to  me.  The 
French  people  are,  however,  aware  that  I  have  a  right  to  require  of  them  that 
they  shall  conduct  themselves  in  such  a  manner  as  will  enable  me  to  protect 
them  from  those  who  may  wish  to  injure  them.  It  is  necessary  that  they  fur- 
nish the  requisitions  which  shall  be  made  upon  them  by  persons  properly 
authorized  so  to  do,  for  which  regular  receipts  shall  be  given  ;  that  they  behave 
peaceably,  and  maintain  no  correspondence  with  the  usurper  or  any  of  his 
adherents. 

"  All  who  absent  themselves  from  their  homes  after  I  enter  France,  or 
shall  be  found  in  the  service  of  the  usurper,  will  be  considered  among  the 
ftdherents  of  the  common  enemy,  and  their  properties  seized  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  army." 

The  above  proclamation  was  issued  on  the  22nd  of  June,  and 
dated  from  Malplaquet,  to  which  place  the  head-quarters  of  the 
army  had  then  advanced,  and  thence  the  same  day  the  Duke  pro- 
ceeded to  Gateau.  Here  a  brief  halt  occurred,  of  which  advan- 
tage was  taken  for  the  investment  of  the  three  important  fortresses 
of  Valenciennes,  Lequesnoy,  and  Cambray;  the  reduction  of 
Maubeuge,  Landrecy,  Avesnes,  and  Kocroi  being  simultaneously 
undertaken  by  the  Prussians.  Moreover,  tidings  arrived  of  the' 
approach  of  15,000  Saxons,  whom  the  King  pressed  upon  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  and  whom  the  Duke,  now  that  these  brave 
men  had  recovered  their  senses,  readily  undertook  to  command. 
He  directed  them  to  proceed  to  Antwerp,  and 'there  to  wait  for 
further  orders,  while  with  his  own  force  he  proceeded  to  clear  the 
way  for  the  advance  upon  Paris.  Lieut.  Gen.  Sir  Charles  Col- 
ville  was  detached  with  the  4th  division  to  summon  Cambray. 
The  commandant  refused  to  open  the  gates,  whereupon  the  city 
was  attacked  on  the  24th,  and  carried  by  escalade.  On  the  25th 
the  citadel  surrendered  ;  and  on  the  2Gth  Louis  XVIII.,  for  whom 
the  Duke  had  sent,  arrived,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  the  place. 
The  same  day  Peronne  was  attacked  by  Major  Gen.  Maitland'a 
brigade  of  Guards,  and  after  a  sharp  resistance  taken.  Neither 
were  the  Prussians  backward  in  the  prosecution  of  that  part  of 
the  common  task  which  they  had  engaged  to  perform.  Zieten 
bombarded  Avesnes,  and  reduced  it,  making  prisoners  of  three 
battalions  of  National  Guards  and  200  veterans ;  the  castle  of 
Guise  was  invested ;  and  other  places  were  either  carried  by  as 


CHAP,  xxiv.]      EFFECT  OF  THE  NEWS  IN  PARIS.  289 

sault,  or  so  masked  as  to»nsure  their  speedy  fall.  Thus  a  good 
base  was  established  whence  in  any  events  hostilities  could  be 
carried  on,  and  the  communications  with  Belgium  and  Holland, 
and  through  them  with  Prussia  and  England,  were  rendered  per- 
fectly secure. 

Meanwhile. the  news  of  Napoleon's  overthrow  began  to  circulate 
iu  Paris,  though  no  man  was  bold  enough  openly  to  proclaim  the 
fact.  There  had  been  great  rejoicing  on  the  receipt  of  his  bul- 
letin, which  gave  an  exaggerated  account  of  the  success  at  Ligny ; 
and  letters  telling  of  the  retreat  of  the  English  from  Quatre  Bras 
circulated  freely.  Indeed,  from  the  field  of  Waterloo  itself  mes- 
sages were  conveyed  full  of  high  hopes  regarding  the  future ;  and 
then  there  came  a  lull.  For  a  while  the  circumstance  was  at- 
tributed to  every  conceivable  cause  but  the  right  one.  Time  for 
writing  dispatches  might  be  wanting,  or  the  Emperor  chose  to 
conceal  his  purposes  till  they  should  be  ripe  for  execution ;  or  the 
courier  had  met  with  an  accident ;  or  the  telegraph  had  gone 
wrong.  So  spake  his  partisans,  including  the  workmen  of  the 
suburbs,  and  all  the  refuse  of  society ;  while  the  shopkeepers  and 
wealthier  classes,  to  whom  war  and  its  glories  had  become  abhor- 
rent, held  a  different  language.  At  last  a  letter,  written  by  him- 
self, and  dated  from  Charleroi,  reached  the  Minister  of  War.  It 
made  no  disguise  of  the  defeat,  though  it  did  not  allow  that  the 
army  which  fought  the  previous  day  had  been  annihilated,  and 
that  the  writer,  a  fugitive,  and  well  nigh  alone,  was  looking  in 
vain  for  some  nucleus  round  which  to  gather  the  fragments  of  his 
battalions.  On  the  contrary,  its  tone  was  cheerful  and  full  of 
confidence,  while  the  minister  was  exhorted  to  keep  a  good  heart, 
and  to  rouse  the  people  to  fresh  exertions.  The  effect  of  this  an- 
nouncement, when  first  made  public,  was  to  throw  all  Paris  into 
a  state  of  panic,  which,  however,  gradually  gave  place  to  an  oppo- 
site feeling.  The  funds  rose ;  as  if  in  a  choice  of  evils  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Allies  were  considered  less  intolerable  than  the 
continuance  of  the  imperial  rule;  and  though  little  business  was 
done  in  the  shops,  they  were  neither  closed  nor  wholly  deserted. 

Napoleon  wrote  this  memorable  letter  just  before  he  set  out 
for  Laon.  He  then  handed  over  the  charge  of  the  army  to  Poult, 
13 


WO  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  xxxv. 

and  Laving  rested  a  few  hours,  hurried  forward  with  post-horses 
to  Paris.  He  arrived  there  very  early  in  the  morning  of  the  21st. 
It  soon  became  bruited  about  that  he  was  come  ;  indeed,  he  had 
scarcely  alighted  at  the  palace  of  the  Bourbon  Elysee  ere  he  sent 
for  Caulaincourt,  and  entered  with  him  into  a  consideration  of  tbc 
state  of  affairs.  He  was  much  agitated,  and  began-  by  declaring 
that  the  army  no  longer  existed,  and  that  the  sole  chance  of  sal- 
vation for  the  country  lay  in  his  being  invested  with  the  powers 
of  a  Dictatorship.  But  in  looking  for  this  he  forgot  that  men's 
minds  were  not  now  as  pliable  as  they  had  been  in  1813.  The 
spirit  of  party,  which  scarcely  slept  while  the  crisis  of  the  cam- 
paign impended,  awoke  with  increased  strength  now  that  the  bat- 
tle was  lost,  and  a  fierce  but  brief  contest  ended  in  the  momentary 
triumph  of  the  Republicans.  A  series  of  resolutions,  moved  in 
the  Chamber  of  Deputies  by  La  Fayette,  and  carried  by  acclama- 
tion, set  aside,  by  omitting  to  notice  it,  the  authority  of  the  Em- 
peror altogether ;  while  the  indignant  complaint  of  Lucien,  that 
the  mover  was  become  ungrateful,  was  repelled  with  much  dignity. 
"  You  accuse  me  of  ingratitude  to  Napoleon,"  exclaimed  La  Fay 
ctte.  "  Do  you  forget  what  we  have  done  for  him  ?  Have  you 
forgotten  that  the  bones  of  our  children  and  of  our  brothers  scat- 
tered everywhere — in  the  sands  of  Africa — beside  the  waters  of 
the  Guadalquivir  and  the  Tagus — on  the  banks  of  the  Vistula, 
and  in  the  deserts  of  Muscovy,  bear  testimony  to  the  faithfulness 
with  which  he  has  been  served?  We  have  done  enough  for  him. 
Let  us  now  do  our  duty  to  our  country."  This  speech  was  heard 
with  deep  attention  ;  and  at  its  close  the  fatal  words — "Let  him 
abdicate !"  were  for  the  first  time  spoken. 

The  idea  thus  fairly  set  afloat  was  taken  up  by  all  the  more 
respectable  portions  of  the  population  of  Paris.  The  National 
Guard,  which  had  already  got  under  arms,  marched  to  the  house 
where  the  Chambers  sat,  and  drew  up  in  front  of  it.  The  Depu- 
ties thus  supported,  hastened  to  nominate  a  committe  of  five, 
which  was  desired  to  communicate  with  two  other  committees — 
one  from  the  House  of  Peers,  the  other  from  the  Ministers  of 
State,  on  the  measures  necessary  to  be  adopted.  The  committees 
met  the  same  evening  in  Napolcon',4  presence,  but  no  conclusions 


CHAP,  xxxv.]  BLEOF  WAVRE.  291 

were  arrived  at ;  for  when  they  spoke  of  abdication  and  peace, 
he  pressed  for  men  and  arms,  and  a  continuance  of  the  struggle. 
Next  morning  in  the  Chambers  the  subject  was  resumed,  on  which 
occasion  Gen.  Solignac  proposed  that  the  committee  should  wait 
upon  the  Emperor,  and  inform  him  at  once  of  the  necessity  of  an 
immediate  compliance  with  the  nation's  will.  "  Let  us  wait  one 
hour,"  cried  Lucien.  "  One  hour  be  it,  then,"  replied  Solignac, 
"  but  no  more ;"  "  and  if  the  answer  do  not  come  within  that 
space,"  added  La  Fayette,  "  I  will  move  that  Napoleon  be  de- 
throned." 

Thus  spoke  and  thus  acted  the  Democratic  or  Jacobinical 
party,  which  amid  the  confusion  of  the  hour  had  acquired  a  supe- 
riority in  both  Chambers  ;  for  the  Peers,  little  influential  at  the 
best,  took  their  tone  wholly  from  the  Deputies.  At  the  same 
time  Napoleon  was  not  without  his  adherents,  foremost  among 
whom,  both  in  energy  and  talent,  stood  his  brother  Lucien.  The 
latter  was  clear  for  making  an  appeal  to  force ;  and  had  not  the 
Emperor  seen  too  much  reason  to  believe  that  the  National 
Guard  would  act  against  him,  it  is  not  impossible  but  that  he 
might  have  endeavored  to  play  over  again  the  game  of  an  earlier 
period.  But  the  season  for  such  coups  d'etat  was  past.  Napoleon 
hesitated,  wavered,  listened  to  many  counsels,  and  summed  up  all 
by  affixing  his  signature  to  the  following  document : — 

"  Frenchmen !  In  commencing  war  for  maintaining  the  national  independ- 
ence, I  relied  on  the  union  of  all  efforts,  of  all  wills,  and  the  concurrence  of 
all  the  national  authorities.  I  had  reason  to  hope  for  success,  and  I  braved 
all  the  declarations  of  the  Powers  against  me.  Circumstances  appear  to  be 
changed.  I  offer  myself  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  hatred  of  the  enemies  of  France. 
May  they  prove  sincere  in  their  declarations,  and  have  really  directed  them 
only  against  my  person.  My  political  life  is  terminated,  and  I  proclaim  mj 
son,  under  the  title  of  Napoleon  II.,  Emperor  of  the  French. 

"  The  present  ministers  will  provisionally  form  the  council  of  the  Govern- 
ment. The  interest  which  I  take  in  my  son  induces  me  to  invite  the  Cham- 
bers to  form  without  delay  the  Regency  by  law.  Unite  all  for  the  public 
safety,  in  order  to  remain  an  independent  nation." 

At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  22nd,  just  four  daya 
subsequently  to  the  fatal  battle  of  Waterloo,  this  document  was 
presented  by  Fouche  to  the  Chamber  of  Deputies.  It  was  re- 


292  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OP  WATERLOO.    [CHAP.  XXXT. 

ceived  with  every  demonstration  of  respect ;  and  after  a  few 
minutes  wasted  in  discussing  abstract  principles  of  government, 
the  Chamber  resolved  to  vest,  for  the  present,  the  powers  of  the 
executive  in  a  council  of  five  persons.  Of  these  two  were  to  be 
chosen  from  among  the  Peers,  and  three  from  their  own  body ; 
but  not  a  word  was  spoken  about  a  permanent  successor  to  the 
throne.  Indeed,  the  deputation  which  waited  upon  Napoleon  to 
thank  him  for  the  sacrifice  he  had  made,  carefully  avoided  all 
reference  to  that  part  of  his  manifesto ;  and  when  directly  ap- 
pealed to,  replied  only  by  saying,  that  the  Chamber  had  given 
them  no  instructions  on  the  subject.  "  I  told  you  so,"  exclaimed 
Napoleon,  turning  to  his  brother,  who  stood  near  him,  "I  told 
you  that  they  would  not  dare  to  do  it.  Say  to  the  Chamber," 
continued  he,  addressing  himself  to  the  deputies,  "  that  I  commit 
my  son  to  their  care,  for  in  his  favor  I  have  abdicated." 

Meanwhile  some  strange  scenes  were  enacted  in  the  Chamber 
of  Peers,  where  Ney  and  Labedoyere,  both  escaped  from  the 
wreck  of  the  war,  had  taken  their  places.  The  former,  smarting 
under  a  sense  of  the  wrong  done  him  by  the  imperial  bulletin, 
sat  silent  and  gloomy,  till  tidings  of  Grouchy's  successful  march 
in  retreat  tempted  Carnot  to  rise.  The  latter  spoke  of  the  pos- 
sibility of  still  offering  successful  resistance  to  the  allies.  He 
assured  the  Chamber  that  Grouchy  could  bring  with  him  60,000 
men ;  that  Soult  had  already  collected  at  Mezieres  20,000  of  the 
Old  Guard  ;  and  that  10,000  fresh  levies,  with  200  pieces  of  can- 
non, could  jn  the  space  of  three  days  be  added  to  these  resources. 
Ney,  instantly  starting  up,  and  speaking  with  a  wild  vehemence, 
declared  that  both  the  report  and  the  statement  founded  upon  it 
were  false.  "  Dare  they  say  to  us,  who  witnessed  the  disaster  of 
the  18th,  that  France  has  yet  60,000  soldiers  left  ?  Grouchy 
cannot  have  with  him  more  than  20.000,  or  25,000  at  the  most ; 
if  he  had  had  more,  he  would  have  been  able  to  cover  the  retreat, 
and  the  Emperor  might  still  be  at  the  head  of  an  army  on  the 
frontier.  As  to  the  Old  Guard,  not  a  man  of  them  will  ever 
rally  more.  I  myself  commanded  them.  I  myself  beheld  their 
total  annihilation  before  I  quitted  the  field.  They  are  exter- 
minated. The  enemy  is  at  Nivelles.  with  80,000  men,  and  may 


CHAP,  xxxv.]    SCENES  IN  THE  CHAMBER  OP  PEERS.  293 

reach  Paris  in  six  days  if  he  please."  Upon  this  Count  Flahaut 
strove  to  interrupt  him,  but  did  not  succeed.  Ney  went  on  to 
paint  in  frightful  colors  the  extent  of  the  national  calamity,  and 
then  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  Your  only  hope  is  in  negotiation. 
You  must  recall  the  Bourbons :  and  for  me,  I  will  retire  to  the 
United  States." 

A  storm  of  rebuke  burst  upon  the  speaker,  the  last  announce- 
ment especially  furnishing  his  enemies  with  ample  ground  of 
complaint ;  but  Ney  listened  to  it  unmoved.  He  looked  round 
with  an  expression  of  bitter  contempt  in  his  countenance,  and 
said,  "  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  regard  only  their  own  interest. 
What  can  /gain  from  the  restoration  of  Louis — except  death  foi 
having  deserted  him  ?  but  for  the  sake  of  the  country  I  must 
speak  the  truth,  and  I  have  spoken,  and  again  repeat  it." 

The  question  of  war  or  peace  being  thus  settled  (for  after 
Ney's  declaration  no  man  ventured  seriously  to  speak  of  resist- 
ance), the  house  proceeded  to  discuss  the  merits  of  the  act  of  ab- 
dication, and  the  point  of  the  succession  was  taken  up.  Lucien 
spoke  in  favor  of  Napoleon  II.,  and  was  interrupted  by  Count  de 
Pontecoulant,  who  fiercely  demanded  by  what  right  an  Italian 
Prince  and  an  alien  presumed  to  offer  an  Emperor  to  France. 
He  objected,  likewise,  to  the  condition  of  the  child,  a  stranger  to 
them  all,  and  residing  in  a  foreign  capital ;  and  was  making  a 
manifest  impression  on  the  house,  when  Labedoyere  rose.  Tho 
same  spirit  stirred  him  then  which  led  him  at  Grenoble  to  set  an 
example  of  defection  from  the  cause  of  the  King  ;  and  he  poured 
forth  a  torrent  of  invective  upon  all  who  exhibited  even  luke- 
warmness  in  the  cause  of  the  Emperor.  "  The  Emperor,"  said 
he,  "  has  abdicated  in  favor  of  his  son.  If  his  son  be  not  in; 
stantly  proclaimed,  the  abdication  is  annulled ;  for  those  alone 
who,  caring  only  for  themselves,  flattered  him  in  his  prosperity, 
and  now  turn  their  eyes  towards  foreigners,  oppose  themselves  to 
his  wishes.  I  tell  you  that  it  is  so.  If  you  refuse  to  acknowl- 
edge the  young  prince,  Napoleon  must  draw  his  sword  again,  and 
blood  will  be  shed.  For  we  will  put  ourselves  at  the  head  of  the 
brave  Frenchmen  who  are  ready  to  die  in  his  defence  ;  and  woo 
to  the  base  generals  who  even  now,  it  maybe,  are  meditating 


^94  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  XXXY. 

new  treasons.  I  demand  that  they  be  impeached  and  punished 
as  deserters  from  the  national  standard,  that  their  names  be  given 
to  infamy,  their  houses  razed,  their  families  proscribed  and  sent 
into  exile.  We  will  suffer  no  traitors  to  abide  among  us.  Na- 
poleon, in  resigning  his  power  to  save  the  nation,  has  done  his 
duty  to  himself;  but  the  nation  is  not  worthy  of  him;  since 
after  swearing  to  abide  by  him  in  adversity  and  prosperity,  she  a 
second  time  compels  him  to  abdicate." 

A  furious  tumult  immediately  arose :  Massena,  Lameth,  and 
others  rebuked  the  speaker ;  who,  however,  continued  his  wild 
harangue,  till  amid  the  confusion  of  many  voices  his  was  at  length 
drowned. 

These  scandalous  scenes  ended,  and  the  question  of  the  suc- 
cession being  evaded  in  both  houses,  the  Chambers  proceeded  to 
name  the  members  of  the  provisional  government,  and  the  choice 
fell  upon  Carnot,  Fouche,  Caulaincourt,  Grenier,  and  Leuriotte. 
Of  these  persons  four  had  voted  for  the  execution  of  Louis  XVI., 
while  the  fifth  was  known  to  be  one  of  the  most  unscrupulous  in. 
triguers  of  his  age  ;  and  that  they  did  not  command  the  confi- 
dence of  the  nation  soon  became  apparent.  Though  resolute, 
one  and  all,  never  to  acknowledge  Napoleon  II.,  they  were  yet 
driven,  by  fears  of  a  military  insurrection,  to  speak  of  him  as 
their  future  sovereign ;  and  having  done  so,  they  pressed  the 
Emperor  to  carry  his  part  of  the  convention  into  effect.  The 
Emperor  saw  or  imagined  that  he  had  no  longer  an  alternative. 
He  therefore  retired,  at  the  request  of  the  Chambers,  to  the 
palace  of  Malmaison,  near  St.  Germain,  and  there  issued  his  fare- 
well address  to  the  army. 

And  now  the  question  arose,  what  was  permanently  to  become 
"of  him.  He  himself  desired  to  continue  in  France.  He  spoke 
of  discharging  the  duties  of  guardian  to  his  son,  and  renewed 
from  Malmaison  the  proposal,  more  than  once  rejected  already, 
of  putting  himself  at  the  head  of  the  army  as  the  young  Emperor's 
lieutenant,  and  falling  upon  the  flank  of  the  allies.  But  neither 
the  provisional  government  nor  the  Chambers  would  consent  to 
these  things.  They  believed  that  the  invaders  would  listen  to 
no  terms  so  long  as  the  individual  against  whom  alone  they  pro- 


CHAP,  xxxvi.]  ADVANCE  UPON  PARIS.  295 

fessed  to  be  in  arms  should  pollute  the  soil  of  France,  and  they 
determined  that  he  should  be  removed  from  it.  At  the  same 
time  their  feelings  were  all  abhorrent  to  such  an  act  of  treachery 
as  would  be  perpetrated  were  he  to  be  surrendered  into  the  hands 
of  his  enemies  ;  they  therefore  pressed  him  to  follow  a  course 
which  had  been  suggested  by  a  private  individual,  and  which,  had 
he  pursued  it  at  once,  might  have  saved  him  many  years  of  mor- 
tification. It  was  proposed  that  he  should  escape  to  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  two  frigates  were  ordered  to  be  placed  at 
his  disposal  for  this  purpose.  Napoleon  is  said  to  have  borne 
•himself  with  much  dignity  during  the  few  days  which  he  spent  at 
Malmaison  previous  to  his  flight.  He  knew  that  a  spell  was  upon 
him,  which,  for  the  present,  could  not  be  broken,  and  sustained 
by  some  vague  hope  of  better  days  to  come,  he  yielded  to  his 
destiny. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

Advance  upon  Paris. 

MEANWHILE  the  advance  of  the  allied  armies  was  not  suspended 
for  a  moment.  The  two  commanders-in-chief  met  on  the  23rd  at 
Chatillon,  where  the  plan  of  operations  was  settled  ;  and  it  was 
subsequently  carried  into  effect  with  all  the  unanimity  and  good 
feeling  which  prevailed  on  both  sides  throughout  the  campaign. 
It  was  arranged  that  the  road  by  Laon  and  Soissons  should  not 
be  followed,  except  by  light  corps  of  cavalry.  The  enemy  was 
understood  to  be  there  collecting  his  forces,  and  as  it  was  not  de- 
sirable to  get  entangled  in  affairs  of  rear-guards  and  out-posts, 
the  allies  determined  to  turn  his  left.  Accordingly  they  proposed 
to  march  by  the  right  bank  of  the  Oise,  to  cross  the  river  either 
at  Compiegoe  or  Pont  St.  Maxence ;  and  interposing  between  the 
fugitives  and  the  line  of  their  retreat,  to  arrive  at  Paris  before 
them.  At  the  same  time  their  own  rear  was  not  neglected. 


29G          STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.     [CHAP,  xxxvi. 

Prince  Frederick  of  the  Netherlands  was  directed  to  undertake 
with  his  corps  the  siege  of  all  the  strong  places  on  the  Scheldt 
and  between  that  river  and  the  Sanibre  ;  while  Prince  Augustus 
of  Prussia,  with  Pirch's  corps  and  the  corps  of  Kleist  von  Nol- 
lendorf,  just  brought  into  communication  with  the  main  army, 
should  reduce  the  fortresses  on  the  Sambre  itself,  and  between 
that  river  and  the  Moselle. 

How  Colville,  with  his  portion  of  Prince  Frederick's  corps, 
executed  the  trust  that  was  committed  to  him,  and  with  what 
promptitude  and  zeal  Prince  Augustus  of  Prussia  bent  himself  to 
Lis  work,  has  already  been  stated.  It  was  to  no  purpose  that  the 
Provisional  Government  of  France  sent  out  to  request  an  armis- 
tice on  the  strength  of  the  announcement — which  they  made  with 
exceeding  eagerness — of  Napoleon's  abdication.  Neither  the 
Duke  of  Wellington  nor  Prince  Bliicher  conceived  that  they  were 
bound  to  listen  to  such  a  proposal ;  and  the  progress  of  their  col- 
umns towards  Paris  was  not  suspended. 

The  Duke  having  halted  his  army  for  a  day,  permitted  the 
Prussians  to  gain  the  start  of  him.  This  was  desirable  on  many 
accounts ;  for  where  the  same  roads  are  used  by  the  troops  of 
different  nations,  crowding  and  confusion  are  apt  to  occur ;  and 
in  order  to  strike  into  the  contiguous  lines  which  the  Allied  Gene- 
rals had  determined  to  follow,  it  was  necessary  that  one  should 
take  the  lead.  The  Prussians,  therefore,  being  upon  the  left  of 
the  French  in  their  retreat,  entered  with  them  into  many  skir- 
mishes, pushed  them  from  the  great  road  which  passes  by  Laon 
and  Soissons,  and  themselves  moved  their  masses  by  it.  It  is  not 
worthwhile  to  trace  their  marches  day  by  day,  nor  yet  to  tell  how 
indefatigable  their  detached  corps  were  in  cutting  in  upon  the 
fugitives.  That  they  committed  many  excesses,  and  put  the  in- 
habitants to  great  discomfort  and  uneasiness,  cannot,  I  am  afraid, 
be  denied.  Let  not  us,  however,  whom  Providence  has  saved 
from  the  terrible  visitation  of  a  victorious  enemy,  blame  them 
too  severely  for  their  conduct.  Their  memories  were  laden  with 
the  recollection  of  bitter  wrongs.  They  were  exasperated  by  the 
cruelties  which  the  French  soldiers  had  practised  on  such  of  their 
countrymen  as  fell  into  their  hands,  and  they  acted  under  the 


;IUP.  xxxvi.]         DISPERSION  OP  THE  FRENCH.  297 

orders  of  a  chief  in  whom  hatred  of  the  French  nation  had  grown 
into  a  sort  of  principle.  Moreover,  the  internal  discipline  of 
Prussian  regiments  was  not  in  1815  what  it  seems  to  be  in  1847  j 
but,  however  this  may  be,  one  thing  is  certain — that  the  pursuit, 
as  carried  on  by  Blucher,  was  as  untiring  as  it  was  close,  and 
that  in  the  course  of  various  affairs  from  the  20th  to  the  28th  of 
June  he  made  himself  master  of  16  pieces  of  cannon,  and  took 
not  fewer  than  4000  prisoners. 

The  wreck  of  the  French  army  was  gathered  together  by  Soult 
at  Laon.  He  led  it  back  as  far  as  Soissons,  where  Grouchy  pre- 
sented himself  with  a  commission  from  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment, to  supersede  him.  Soult,  as  might  be  expected,  was  ex- 
ceedingly exasperated,  and  set  off  immediately  for  Paris,  while 
Grouchy  did  his  best  to  inspire  his  followers  with  a  confidence 
which  he  himself  had  ceased  to  entertain.  The  French  are  ex- 
cellent soldiers,  but  they  cannot  play  a  losing  game  so  well  as  a 
winning  one.  On  the  present  occasion,  for  example,  they  were 
repeatedly  brought  into  situations  in  which,  had  their  passive 
courage  been  equal  to  the  active  courage  which  nobody  ventures 
to  deny  them,  they  might  have  delivered  with  excellent  effect 
more  than  one  blow  upon  their  pursuers.  But  their  thoughts 
seemed  to  be  turned  absolutely  towards  Paris  ;  and  a  cry  that 
their  retreat  would  be  cut  off,  or  that  their  communications  were 
in  danger,  on  no  occasion  failed  to  unman  them.  This  was  par- 
ticularly the  case  on  the  28th,  when  a  Prussian  detachment,  weak 
in  point  of  numbers,  after  carrying  Longpre,  near  Villers- 
Cotterets,  by  surprise,  fell  upon  a  large  but  somewhat  scattered 
force  of  French  troops  at  the  latter  place,  and  making  many  pris- 
oners, of  whom  Grouchy  himself  narrowly  escaped  being  one,  in- 
terposed itself  between  the  columns  of  Vandamme  and  Grouchy, 
and  blocked  up  the  great  road  to  Paris.  The  enemy,  though 
outnumbering  their  pursuers  five  fold,  would  not  venture  to 
attack  them.  On  the  contrary  they  dispersed  into  the  woods 
right  and  left  of  tho  road,  through  which  they  escaped  by  twos 
and  threes — a  grievous  blunder,  as  was  proved  by  the  result  of 
the  action  which  about  2,000  of  their  infantry,  with  a  few  guns, 

13* 


298  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxvi. 

were  persuaded  to  accept.  These  latter  beat  back  the  Prussians 
with  loss,  and  prosecuted  their  march  in  good  order. 

Such  were  some  of  the  operations  of  that  portion  of  the  Prus- 
sian army  which  Blucher  conducted  in  person  to  the  gates  of 
Paris.  Another  column — for  the  army  moved  in  several — pro- 
ceeded under  the  orders  of  Biilow,  by  the  road  which  conducts 
from  Pont  St.  Maxence  to  Maly-la-Ville.  Of  this  force  Prince 
William  of  Prussia  commanded  the  advanced  guard  ;  and  in  the 
evening  of  the  same  day  when  the  affair  last  described  took  place, 
he  found  an  opportunity  of  falling  upon  some  detachments  from 
D'Erlon's  corps,  and  upon  all  that  remained  of  that  of  Reille. 
The  fighting  was  sharp,  but  it  ended  in  the  complete  success  of 
the  Prussians,  who,  besides  killing  many  and  dispersing  more, 
made  2,000  prisoners.  The  result  of  this  encounter,  and  of  the 
operations  successfully  carried  on  elsewhere,  was,  that  the  French 
were  driven  entirely  into  the  cross-roads,  while  the  invaders, 
making  themselves  masters  of  the  great  roads  from  Senlis  and 
Soissons,  pushed  their  advanced  posts  forward,  and  settled  them 
within  five  English  miles  of  the  capital. 

All  this  while  the  Anglo-Belgian  columns  were  pressing  on  by  a 
line  of  their  own,  and  carrying  all  before  them.  The  head-quar- 
ters passed  from  Nivelles  to  Cateau,  where  the  halt  of  a  day  took 
place,  after  which  the  army  again  moved  forward,  and  on  the  26th 
arrived  at  Joncourt.  Vermand,  Orville,  Louvres,  and  Gonesse 
were  reached  in  succession,  at  the  latter  of  which  places  a  little 
incident  befell  not  undeserving  of  notice.  Prince  William  of 
Prussia  wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  announcing  the  birth 
of  a  daughter  on  the  18th  of  June,  and  begging  that  his  Grace 
would  become  her  godfather.  As  may  be  imagined,  the  Duke  did 
not  decline  the  responsibility ;  and  the  terms  in  which  he  ac- 
cepted it  could  not  but  prove  gratifying  to  the  illustrious  in- 
dividual who  preferred  the  request.* 

*  "  To  H.  R.  H.  Prince  William  of  Prussia. 

"  Gonesse,  ce  1  Juillet,  1815. 

"  J'ai  re9u  la  lettre  tres  obligeante  que  votre  Altesse  Royale  m'a  ecrite  hier, 
et  je  suis  extremement  flatte  et  reconnaissant  de  1'honneur  que  votre  Altesse 
Royale  me  fait  par  son  desir  que  je  sois  le  parrain  de  sa  fille  nee  le  18  Juin. 

\ 


CHAP,  xxxvi.]  ADVANCE  UPON  PARIS.  299 

The  result  of  these  movements  was,  that  on  the  29th  of  June 
the  advance  of  the  Anglo-Belgian  army  passed  the  Oise,  and  on 
the  3rd  of  July  took  up  a  position,  with  its  right  on  the  height 
of  Bichebourg,  and  its  left  on  the  wood  of  Bondy.  Here  a  series 
of  communications  took  place  between  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
and  the  members  of  the  Provisional  Government  in  Paris,  to  de- 
tail the  particulars  of  which  belongs  rather  to  the  general  his- 
torian than  to  the  writer  of  such  a  narrative  as  this.  But  of  the 
results  I  may  be  permitted  to  say,  that  though  for  a  while  they 
proved  little  satisfactory  to  either  party,  in  the  end  the  firmness 
and  excellent  judgment  of  the  English  General  brought  them  to 
a  happy  conclusion.  He  would  not  listen  to  any  proposition  for 
the  suspension  of  hostilities,  so  long  as  Napoleon  continued  to  ex- 
ercise the  smallest  influence  in  the  state,  or  one  soldier  of  the 
army,  which  was  known  to  be  devoted  to  him,  remained  in  the 
capital.  And  if,  for  a  brief  space,  the  Commissioners  suffered 
themselves  to  be  swayed  by  motives  of  mistaken  pride,  in  the 
end  they  were  glad  to  give  way.  They  did  not  yield,  however, 
till  such  measures  had  been  adopted  as  left  them  without  a  hope 
to  fall  back  upon ;  and  of  these  a  few  words  will  suffice  to  give  a 
sufficiently  explicit  account. 

The  heights  of  Montmartre  and  the  town  of  St.  Denis  were 
at  this  time  strongly  fortified.  By  damming  up  the  waters  of 
the  little  rivers  Ilouillon  and  Vieille  Mer,  an  inundation  which 
covered  the  whole  northern  face  of  Paris  had  been  created,  while 
the  Canal  de  1'Ourcq  being  filled,  and  its  banks  coflverted  into 
parapets  and  batteries,  a  very  formidable  position  was  made  out. 
There  were  assembled  in  the  city  about  50,000  men,  troops  of 
the  line  and  of  the  Guard,  which,  with  some  new  levies  called 
les  tirailleurs  de  la  Garde  and  about  17,000  veterans,  enrolled  under 
the  denomination  of  federes,  might  raise  the  effective  force  to 
70,000,  or  more.  Besides  these,  the  National  Guard,  amounting 
to  perhaps  30,000,  were  under  arms  ;  and  though  the  temper  of 
such  citizen  soldiers  might  not,  perhaps,  be  such  as  to  promise 

"  Je  souhaite  avecvotre  Altesse  Royale  que  1'alliance  entre  nos  deux  nations 
•oil  aussi  permunente  qu'ellc  a  deja  etc  avantagcuse  d  la  cause  pullique,  ct 
qu'ellc  cst  cordiale." 


300  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxvi. 

much,  still  100,000  men,  with  200  or  300  pieces  of  cannon,  could 
not,  especially  in  such  a  situation,  be  lightly  thought  of.  The 
more  sanguine  of  Napoleon's  adherents  insisted  upon  trying  the 
issues  of  a  battle  ;  and  Blucher  was  at  least  as  eager  to  play  the 
game  of  war  as  they.  But  the  Duke  took  a  different  and  a  wiser 
view  of  the  case.  He  pointed  out  to  his'  ally  that  success,  even 
if  it  were  certain,  must  be  purchased  at  a  great  expense  of  life  ; 
that  under  the  circumstances  in  which  the  adverse  parties  were 
placed,  success  was  by  no  means  certain  ;  and  that  a  brief  delay 
— probably  not  extended  beyond  a  week  at  the  farthest — would 
render  the  fall  of  Paris  inevitable,  by  the  arrival  of  the  Austrian 
and  Russian  armies,  both  of  which  were  already  across  the  fron- 
tier. On  the  other  hand,  he  explained  to  the  French  Com- 
missioners that  the  abdication  of  Napoleon  could  not  be  regarded 
except  "  as  a  trick ;"  and  that  it  was  impossible  for  him,  keeping 
in  view  the  object  for  which  the  Allies  were  in  arms,  to  enter,  on 
account  of  any  such  absurdity,  into  an  armistice.  They  urged 
him  to* advise:  which,  with  equal  judgment  and  temper,  he  de- 
clined to  do,  except  as  a  private  individual ;  and  when,  as  an  in- 
dividual, they  besought  him  to  speak  out,  he  recommended  that 
the  King  should  be  recalled.  "  I  then  told  them,"  says  he, 
"  that  I  conceived  the  best  security  for  Europe  was  the  restora- 
tion of  the  King  :  and  that  the  establishment  of  any  other  Gov- 
ernment than  the  King's  in  France  must  inevitably  lead  to  new 
and  endless  wars ;  that  Bonaparte  and  the  army  having  over- 
turned the  king's  Government,  the  natural  and  simple  measure, 
after  Bonaparte  was  a  prisoner  or  out  of  the  way,  was  to  recall 
the  King  to  his  authority  ;  and  that  it  was  a  much  more  dignified 
proceeding  to  recall  him  without  conditions^  and  to  trust  to  the 
energy  of  their  Constitution  for  any  reforms  which  they  ^J-'hed 
to  make  either  in  the  Government  or  the  Constitution,  than  nc 
to  make  conditions  with  the  Sovereign  ;  and  that  above  all,  u 
was  important  they  should  recall  their  King  without  loss  of  time, 
as  it  would  not  then  appear  that  the  measure  had  been  forced 
upon  them  by  the  Allies." 

Meanwhile  the  military  operations  on  both  sides  were  not  sus- 
pended.    Within  the  city  every  effort  was  made  to  rouse  a  spirit 


CHAP.  xxxvi.J  ADVANCE  UPON  PARIS.  301 

of  hostility  to  the  invaders,  and  add  to  the  defences  of  the  place. 
The  heights  of  Montrouge,  as  well  as  Montmartre  and  St.  Denis, 
were  occupied,  and  the  wood  of  Boulogne  swarmed  with  cavalry. 
Every  approach  to  the  city  was  barricaded.  The  old  castle  of 
Vincennes  was  strengthened,  and  new  works  were  thrown  up  at 
La  Pirotte.  All  the  boats  on  the  Seine  were  seized,  and  carried 
to  the  opposite  side  from  that  along  which  the  Allies  were  sta- 
tioned— while  the  bridges  were  broken  down.  Still  the  whole  of 
the  south  of  Paris  lay  open ;  and  it  became  an  object  with  the 
Allies  to  manoeuvre  for  the  command  of  the  approaches  in  that 
direction.  Blucher,  however,  was  not  willing  to  give  up  the  hold 
which  he  had  upon  the  north  face  without  making  trial  of  the 
courage  and  determination  of  its  defenders.  Accordingly  on  the 
night  of  the  29th,  just  after  the  Commissioners  had  quitted  his 
colleague,  he  directed  an  attack  to  be  made  upon  the  fortified  vil- 
lage of  Aubervilliers,  which  Gen.  von  Sydow  carried  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet,  making  200  prisoners.  A  further  demonstration 
on  the  canal  of  St.  Denis  was  not,  however,  attended  with  a  similar 
result.  There  the  enemy  presented  a  formidable  front ;  and,  after 
a  good  deal  of  desultory  firing,  the  assailants  withdrew. 

Satisfied  that  it  was  not  from  this  side  that  Paris  could  be  sue 
cessfully  assailed,  Blucher  began  to  manoeuvre  towards  the  right, 
while  the  Duke  of  "Wellington  advanced  his  troops,  so  as  to  take 
up  the  ground  from  which  the  Prussians  should  remove.  Some 
affairs  between  the  soldiers  of  the  latter  nation  and  the  French 
ensued.  In  these  the  French  took  the  initiative  by  attacking  on 
the  1st  of  July  the  village  of  Aubervilliers ;  and  finding  it  in  a 
great  measure  evacuated  by  Billow's  people,  they  succeeded  in 
recovering  the  half  of  it.  But  just  at  this  moment  Colville's  di- 
vision, which  had  been  appointed  to  occupy  this  part  of  the  line, 
came  up ;  and  his  light  troops  under  Sir  Neil  Campbell  soon  re- 
covered what  the  Prussisns  had  been  too  few  in  number  to  retain. 
Then  followed  a  sharp  affair  at  Versailles,  where  a  brigade  of 
Prussian  cavalry,  under  Lieut.  Col.  von  Sohr,  got  entangled  in 
an  ambuscade,  and,  after  performing  prodigies  of  valor,  was  cut 
to  pieces.  In  spite  of  this  loss,  however,  the  movement  of  the 
Prussians  to  the  right  was  not  checked.  They  advanced  on  the 


302  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  zzxvi. 

2nd  towards  the  heights  of  Meudon  and  Chatillon  ;  fought  a  sharp 
battle  for  the  possession  of  Sevres,  Moulineaux,  and  Issy ;  were 
again  attacked  in  force  on  the  3rd,  and  obtained  a  signal  victory. 
On  this  occasion  Vandamme  led  out  two  strong  columns  of  in- 
fantry, supported  by  cavalry  and  a  formidable  train  of  artillery, 
and  seemed  bent  on  retaking  the  ground  which  had  been  lost  on 
the  previous  day.  But  either  the  French  had  by  this  time  be- 
come considerably  cowed,  or  the  Prussians  surpassed  themselves 
in  valor ;  for  though  the  former  greatly  exceeded  the  latter  in 
numbers,  they  did  not  so  much  as  carry  the  village  of  Issy.  They 
fell  back,  after  much  firing,  in  disorder,  and  were  pursued  by  the 
Prussian  skirmishers  up  to  the  very  barriers  of  Paris. 

The  moral  effect  of  these  repulses  now  began  to  tell.  It  was 
seen,  moreover,  that  the  Allies  could  neither  be  cajoled  nor  awed 
into  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  for  the  British  troops  were  not 
less  busy  than  the  Prussians.  The  whole  of  the  ground  opposite 
Montmartre  and  St.  Denis  was  taken  up  by  them.  They  estab- 
lished a  bridge  over  the  Seine  at  Argenteuil,  and  moved  a  corps 
towards  the  Pont  de  Neuilly,  which  entered  into  immediate  com- 
munication with  Zie ten's  troops,  and  threatened  Paris  on  its  most 
vulnerable  side.  All  further  hope  of  successful  resistance  here- 
upon deserted  the  defenders.  They  caused  their  batteries  to 
cease  firing ;  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce  to  propose  a  capitulation  ; 
informed  the  Allied  Generals  officially  of  Napoleon's  flight,  and 
threw  themselves,  in  some  sort,  on  the  mercy  of  the  conquerors. 
Whereupon,  sorely  against  the  will  of  Prince  Blucher,  who  saw 
an  enemy's  capital  within  his  grasp,  and  expressed  the  strongest 
disinclination  to  relax  it,  commissioners  were  appointed  to  meet 
in  the  Palace  of  St.  Cloud  ;  and  a  military  convention  was  agreed 
upon : — 

"  Art.  1.  There  shall  be  a  suspension  of  arms  between  the  Allied  armies 
commanded  by  his  Highness  the  Prince  Blucher  and  his  Grace  the  Duke  of 
Wellington,  and  the  French  army  under  the  walls  of  Paris. 

"  2.  The  French  army  shall  put  itself  in  march  to-morrow,  to  take  up  a 
jwsition  behind  the  Loire.  Paris  shall  be  completely  evacuated  in  three  days ; 
and  the  movement  behind  the  Loire  shall  be  effected  in  eight  days. 

"  3.  The  French  army  shall  take  with  it  all  its  materiel,  field  artillery,  mili- 
tary chest,  horses,  and  property  of  regiments,  without  exception.  All  persons 


CHAP,  xxxvi.]  CONVENTION  OP  PARIS.  303 

belonging  to  the  depots  shall  also  be  removed,  as  well  as  those  belonging  to 
the  different  branches  of  administration  which  appertain  to  the  army. 

"  4.  The  sick  and  wounded,  and  the  medical  officers  whom  it  shall  be  found 
necessary  to  leave  with  them,  are  placed  under  the  special  protection  of  the 
Commanders-in-Chief  of  the  English  and  Prussian  armies. 

"  5.  The  military,  and  those  holding  employments  to  whom  the  foregoing 
articles  relate,  shall  be  at  liberty,  immediately  after  their  recovery,  to  rejoin  the 
corps  to  which  they  belong. 

u  G.  The  wives  and  children  of  all  individuals  belonging  to  the  French  army 
shall  be  at  liberty  to  remain  in  Paris.  The  wives  shall  be  allowed  to  quit  Paris 
for  the  purpose  of  rejoining  the  army,  and  to  carry  with  them  their  property, 
or  that  of  their  husbands. 

"  7.  The  officers  of  the  line  employed  with  the  Federes,-oT  with  the  tirail- 
leurs of  the  National  Guard,  may  either  join  the  army,  or  return  to  their 
homes  or  to  the  places  of  their  birth. 

"  8.  To-morrow,  the  4th  of  July,  at  mid-day,  St.  Denis,  St.  Omer,  Clichy, 
and  Neuilly  shall  be  given  up.  The  day  after  to-morrow,  the  5th,  at  the  same 
hour,  Montmartre  shall  be  given  up.  The  third  day,  the  Cth,  all  the  barriers 
shall  be  given  up. 

"9.  The  duty  of  the  city  of  Paris  shall  continue  to  be  done  by  the  National 
Guard  and  by  the  corps  of  the  municipal  gendarmerie. 

"  10.  The  Commanders-in-Chief  of  the  English  and  Prussian  armies  engage 
to  respect,  and  to  make  those  under  their  command  respect,  the  actual  authori- 
ties so  long  as  they  shall  exist. 

"  11.  Public  property,  with  the  exception  of  that  which  relates  to  war, 
whether  it  belongs  to  the  Government  or  depends  upon  the  municipal  au- 
thority, shall  be  respected,  and  the  Allied  Powers  shall  not  interfere  in  any 
manner  with  its  'administration  and  management. 

"  12.  Private  persons  and  property  shall  be  equally  respected.  The  inhabi- 
tants, and  in  general  all  individuals  who  shall  be  in  the  capital,  shall  continue 
to  enjoy  their  rights  and  liberties  without  being  disturbed  or  called  to  account, 
either  as  to  the  situations  which  they  hold  or  may  have  held,  or  as  to  their 
conduct  or  political  opinions. 

"  13.  The  foreign  troops  shall  not  interpose  any  obstacles  to  the  provisioning 
of  the  capital,  and  will  protect,  on  the  contrary,  the  arrival  and  the  free  circu- 
lation of  the  articles  which  are  destined  for  it. 

"  14.  The  present  Convention  shall  be  observed,  and  shall  serve  to  regulate 
the  mutual  relations,  until  the  conclusion  of  peace.  In  case  of  rupture  it  must 
be  denounced  in  the  usual  forms,  at  least  ten  days  beforehand. 

"  15.  If  any  difficulties  arise  in  the  execution  of  any  one  of  the  articles  of 
the  present  Convention,  the  interpretation  of  it  shall  be  made  in  favor  of  the 
French  army  and  of  the  city  of  Paris. 

'•  16.  The  present  Convention  is  declared  common  to  all  the  Allied  armies, 
provided  it  be  ratified  by  the  Powers  on  which  these  armies  are  dependent. 


304          STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxvi-. 

— — Z . 

"  17.  The  ratifications  shall  be  exchanged  to-morrow,  the  4th  of  July,  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  the  bridge  of  Neuilly. 

"  18.  Commissioners  shall  be  named  by  the  respective  parties,  in  order  to 
watch  the  execution  of  the  present  Convention." 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

Occupation  of  Paris. 

THUS  fell,  for  the  second  time,  within  the  space  of  a  year  and  a 
half,  the  capital  of  France  into  the  hands  of  foreign  troops.  On 
both  occasions  a  degree  of  mercy  was  shown  to  the  vanquished, 
such  as  they,  when  victorious,  had  not  been-  accustomed  to  exer- 
cise ;  and  some  there  were,  among  the  chiefs  of  the  Allied  army, 
who  chafed  exceedingly  at  the  circumstance.  Prince  Bliicher 
especially  was  indignant  at  the  yielding  temper,  as  he  termed  it, 
which  the  Duke  of  Wellington  displayed.  He  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  take  the  place  by  storm.  He  kept  a  list  of  the  insults 
and  outrages  which  had  been  put  upon  the  inhabitants  of  Berlin 
and  of  Prussia  generally,  and  burned  to  avenge  them.  It  was  a 
settled  point  with  him  that  France  should  pay  the  expenses  of 
the  war  which  she  had  provoked,  and  he  made  no  secret  of  his 
purpose,  and  began  with  levying  a  contribution  on  the  capital. 
Accordingly  his  answers  to  the  applications  of  the  Provisional 
Government  for  a  suspension  of  arms  had  breathed  throughout  a 
very  different  spirit  from  those  of  his  illustrious  coadjutor  ;  and 
when  at  last  Marshal  Davoust  wrote,  in  his  capacity  of  command- 
er-in-chief  of  the  French  army,  to  remonstrate,  the  indignation  of 
Blucher  boiled  over.  Davoust  had  been  so  imprudent  as  to  refer 
to  some  verbal  arrangement  made  with  officers  of  the  outposts ; 
and  to  allege  that  the  abdication  of  Napoleon  removed  the  only 
ground  of  war  which  the  Allies  had  set  up.  He  was  answered  in 
these  words : — 

"  Marshal, — It  is  not  true  that  because  Napoleon  has  abdicated,  no  further 
motive  for  war  between  the  Allied  Powers  and  France  exists.  His  abdication 


CHAP,  xxxvn.]  OCCUPATION  OP  PARIS.  305- 

is  conditional ;  it  is  in  favor  of  his  son  :  whereas  the  decree  of  the  Allies  ex- 
cludes not  only  Napoleon,  but  every  member  of  his  family,  from  the  throne. 
If  Gen.  Frimont  has  considered  himself  justified  to  conclude  an  armistice 
with  the  General  opposed  to  him,  that  is  no  reason  why  we  should  do  the 
same.  We  will  follow  up  our  victory ;  and  God  has  given  us  both  the  power 
and  the  will  to  do  so. 

"  Take  care,  General,  what  you  do,  and  avoid  devoting  another  city  to 
destruction  ;  for  you  know  how  the  exasperated  soldiers  would  disport  them- 
selves if  your  capital  were  taken  by  storm.  Do  you  desire  to  be  laden  with 
the  curses  of  Paris,  as  well  as  with  those  of  Hamburg  1 

"  We  shall  enter  Paris  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  its  well-conducted  in- 
habitants from  the  mobs  which  threaten  them  with  plunder.  There  can  be 
no  secure  armistice  concluded  anywhere  but  in  Paris.  Do  not  mistake  th& 
relative  positions  of  our  countries  in  this  respect.  Finally,  let  me  observe  to 
you,  Marshal,  that  your  desire  to  treat  with  us,  while  contrary  to  the  rules  of 
war,  you  detain  our  officers  sent  to  you  with  cartels,  is  very  surprising.  In 
the  usual  forms  of  conventional  courtesy,  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Marshal,  your 
obedient  servant, 

"  BLLXUER." 

Such  an  epistle  as  this,  even  though  addressed  to  Davoust, 
whose  name  abides  as  a  word  of  bad  omen  in  the  north  of  Ger- 
many still,  was  not  calculated  to  excite  the  hope  of  very  tender 
treatment  among  the  Parisians.  Neither,  indeed,  did  these  un- 
happy people  greatly  mistake  the  purposes  of  the  writer.  He  had 
just  missed  making  himself  master  of  Napoleon's  person,  and  the 
disappointment  had  no  tendency  to  pour  oil  upon  the  waters  of 
his  wrath.  Hearing  that  the  ex-Emperor  abode  at  Malmaison, 
he  had  dispatched  a  body  of  cavalry  to  surprise  the  place  ;  and 
the  deed  would  have  been  done,  had  not  the  French  succeeded  in 
breaking  down  the  bridge  of  Chatou  just  before  the  Prussians 
arrived.  Now.  as  the  bridge  of  Chatou  is  distant  from  the  palace 
of  Malmaison  not  more  than  eight  hundred  yards,  the  risk  which 
Napoleon  ran  could  not  fail  to  be  imminent,  and  the  disappointment 
of  Blucher  was  sharp  in  proportion  to  the  near  accomplishment 
of  an  object  which  he  had  much  at  heart.  Nevertheless,  the 
Prince  Marshal  felt  himself  constrained  to  yield  to  the  gentler 
influences  which  his  colleague  brought  to  bear  upon  him.  He, 
too,  affixed  his  signature  to  the  Convention,  and  the  war  came  to 
an  end. 

There  was  no  attempt,  as,  indeed,  there  could  be  little  induce- 


306          STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxvn. 


ment,  to  evade  the  terms  of  the  treaty  on  either  side.  Punctually 
at  the  hour  named  the  capitulation  was  ratified ;  and  on  the  4th 
of  July  the  French  army,  under  the  command  of  Marshal  Da- 
voust,  began  its  march  towards  the  Loire.  The  same  day  the 
English  and  Prussians  occupied  St.  Denis,  St.  Ouen,  Clichy,  and 
Neuilly ;  on  the  5th  the  allies  took  possession  of  Montmartre ; 
on  the  Gth  they  planted  their  posts  at  the  barricades — the  Eng- 
lish on  the  right  of  the  Seine,  the  Prussians  on  the  left ;  and  on 
the  7th  both  armies  marched  into  Paris.  They  were  gazed  upon 
by  the  inhabitants  with  a  strange  mixture  of  terror  and  curiosity. 
No  crowds  gathered  in  the  streets  to  welcome  them,  neither  were 
the  windows  and  house-tops  thronged  ;  but  from  behind  jalousies 
and  half-closed  blinds  multitudes  of  faces  peered  out  upon  the 
strange  spectacle.  The  troops  moved  on  to  the  quarters  which 
had  severally  been  allotted  to  them.  The  Prussians  bivouacked 
to  the  south  of  Paris  chiefly  ;  Montmartre  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  English,  who  established,  however,  a  camp  in  the  Champs 
Elysees  ;  and  the  bridges  as  well  as  all  the  principal  squares, 
markets,  thoroughfares,  and  public  buildings  were  guarded  by 
patrols  furnished  from  both  armies.  In  a  word,  the  military  oc- 
cupation of  the  French  capital  was  complete ;  and  the  Chambers 
of  Peers  and  Deputies,  conscious  that  their  functions  were  ended, 
dissolved  themselves,  and  the  houses  were  shut  up. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history  that  Louis  XVIII.  reached  his  capital 
amid  the  shouts  of  a  giddy  populace  on  the  9th  of  July.  The 
way  had  been  paved  for  his  return  by  the  temper  and  sagacity  of 
the  Duke  of  Wellington  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  duplicity  of 
Fouche  and  the  skill  of  Talleyrand  on  the  other.  But  not  even 
the  return  of  Louis  and  the  re-establishment  of  a  legitimate  gov- 
ernment sufficed  to  appease  the  wrath  of  Bliicher  or  divert  him 
from  his  purposes.  He  commanded  the  municipal  authorities  of 
Paris  to  furnish,  for  the  payment  of  his  army,  100,000,000  of 
francs — a  sum  equivalent  to  about  4.000,OOOZ.  of  our  money.  At 
the  same  time  he  set  his  pioneers  to  work  upon  the  bridge  of 
Jena,  which  he  declared  himself  determined  to  blow  up.  In  like 
manner,  when  his  soldiers  clamored  for  the  destruction  of  the 
pillar  of  Austerlitz,  he  chimed  in  readily  with  their  tastes,  and 


CHAP,  xxxvii.]  OCCUPATION  OP  PARIS.  307 

had  actually  gone  so  far  as  to  make  preparations  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  work.  It  was  to  DO  purpose  that  the  leading 
men  in  the  city  implored  Lira  to  retract  these  stern  decrees,  or 
that  the  representative  of  his  own  sovereign  endeavored  to  move 
him.  This  gentleman,  Count  Von  der  Golz,  who,  in  addition  to 
the  high  office  which  he  held,  seemed  to  possess  some  personal 
claims  on  the  Marshal's  friendship,  inasmuch  as  he  had  formerly 
served  as  one  of  his  aides-de-camp,  wrote  to  Blucher  and  entreated 
him,  in  the  name  of  Prince  Talleyrand,  to  spare  the  bridge.  The 
following  characteristic  answer  was  dispatched  in  the  hand-writing 
of  the  Marshal  himself:  "I  have  determined  on  blowing  up  the 
bridge,  and  I  cannot  conceal  from  your  Excellency  how  much 
pleasure  it  would  afford  me  if  M.  Talleyrand  would  previously 
station  himself  on  it.  I  beg  that  you  will  make  my  wishes  known 
to  him."  In  like  manner  his  decision  in  regard  to  the  forced  con- 
tribution seemed  to  be  immovable.  But  here  again  the  genius 
of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  prevailed.  He,  too,  wrote  to  the  Prus- 
sian Marshal,  and  the  admirable  tact  displayed  in  the  management 
of  a  nature  so  strangely  compounded  cannot  be  better  shown  than 
by  the  perusal  of  the  subjoined  letters : — 

"  Mein  liebcr  Furst,  "  Paris,  9th  July,  1815. 

"  The  subjects  on  which  Lord  Castlereagh  and  I  conversed  with  your 
Highness  and  Gen.  Count  Gneisenau.this  morning,  viz.,  the  destruction  of  the 
bridge  of  Jena  and  the  levy  of  the  contribution  of  100,000,000  of  francs  upon 
the  city  of  Paris,  appear  to  me  to  be  so  important  to  the  allies  in  general,  that 
I  cannot  allow  myself  to  omit  to  draw  your  Highness's  attention  to  them 
again  in  this  shape. 

"  The  destruction  of  the  bridge  of  Jena  is  highly  disagreeable  to  the  King 
and  to  the  people,  and  may  occasion  disturbances  in  the  city.  It  is  not  merely 
a  military  measure,  but  it  is  one  likely  to  attach  to  the  character  of  our  opera- 
tions, and  is  of  political  importance.  It  is  adopted  solely  because  the  bridge 
is  considered  a  monument  of  the  battle  of  Jena,  notwithstanding  that  the 
Government  are  willing  to  change  the  name  of  the  bridge. 

"  Considering  the  bridge  as  a  monument,  I  beg  leave  to  observe  that  its  im- 
mediate destruction  is  inconsistent  with  the  f  romise  made  to  the  Commission- 
ers on  the  part  of  the  French  army  during  the  negotiation  of  the  convention  ; 
namely,  tnat  the  monuments,  museums,  &c.,  should  be  left  to  the  decision  of 
the  allied  sovereigns.  All  that  I  ask  is,  that  the  execution  of  the  orders  given 
for  the  destruction  of  the  bridge  may  be  suspended  till  the  sovereigns  shall 


308          STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxvii. 

arrive  here,  when,  if  it  should  be  agreed  by  common  accord  that  the  bridge 
should  be  destroyed,  I  shall  have  no  objection. 

"  In  regard  to  the  contribution  laid  on  the  city  of  Paris,  I  am  convinced 
that  your  Hignness  will  acquit  me  of  any  desire  to  dispute  the  claims  of  the 
Prussian  army  to  any  advantages  which  can  be  derived  from  its  bravery  and 
exertions  and  services  to  the  cause  ;  but  it  appears  to  me  that  the  allies  will 
contend  that  one  party  to  a  general  alliance  ought  not  to  derive  all  the  advan- 
tages resulting  from  the  operations  of  the  armies.  Even  supposing  the  allies 
should  be  induced  to  concede  this  point  to  the  Prussian  army,  they  will  con- 
tend for  the  right  of  considering  the  question  whether  France  ought  or  ought 
not  to  be  called  upon  to  make  this  pecuniary  sacrifice  ;  and  for  that  of  making 
the  concession  to  the  Prussian  army,  if  it  should  be  expedient  to  make  it. 

"  The  levy  and  application  of  the  contribution  ought  then  to  be  a  matter 
for  the  consideration  and  decision  of  all  the  allies,  and  in  this  point  of  view  it  is 
that  I  entreat  your  Highness  to  defer  the  measures  for  the  levy  of  it  till  the 
sovereigns  shall  have  arrived. 

"  Since  I  have  had  the  happiness  of  acting  in  concert  with  your  Highness 
and  the  brave  army  under  your  command,  all  matters  have  been  carried  on 
by  common  accord  and  with  a  degree  of  harmony  unparalleled  in  similar  cir- 
cumstances, much  to  the  public  advantage.  What  I  now  ask  is,  not  the  dere- 
liction of  your  measures,  but  the  delay  of  them  for  the  day,  or  at  most  two 
days,  which  will  elapse  before  the  sovereigns  shall  arrive,  which  cannot  be 
deemed  unreasonable,  and  will.  I  hope,  be  granted  on  account  of  the  motive 
for  making  the  request. 

"  Believe  me,  &c." 

The  second  is  equally  in  keeping  with  the  temper  and  feelings 
of  the  writer  : — 

"  Mein  lieber  Furst,  "  Paris,  10th  July,  1815. 

"  The  dinner  is  to  be  at  Very's  to-day  at  six  o'clock ;  and  I  hope  we 
shall  have  an  agreeable  day. 

"  I  have  received  news  of  the  expected  arrival  of  the  sovereigns  to-day  at 
Bondy,  with  orders  to  send  guards,  &c.,  which  has  been  done.  I  believe  that 
they  will  not  stay  in  Bondy  more  than  a  few  hours,  and  they  will  arrive  here 
this  evening. 

"  Believe  me,  &c." 

The  combination  of  remonstrance  and  hospitable  challenge 
prevailed.  Blucher  grumbled,  but  the  bridge  of  Jena  was 
saved. 

"  The  story  of  the  Battle  of  Waterloo"  is  told  ;  if  not  as  pleas- 
antly and  with  as  much  accuracy  as  others  might  tell  it,  at  all 
events  not  without  care  and  anxiety  on  my  part  to  do  justice  to 


CIUP.  xxxvii.]  EVACUATION  OP  FRANCE.  309 

BO  important  a  subject.  For  all  that  followed  on  the  occupation 
of  Paris,  including  the  flight  of  Napoleon,  his  endeavors  to  escape 
to  America,  and  his  final  surrender  to  Captain  Maitland  of  the 
Bellerophon,  belong  to  a  wider  province  than  that  on  which,  for 
the  present,  I  have  entered,  The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  the 
condition  of  France  and  of  its  inhabitants  during  the  years  of  its 
occupation  by  a  portion  of  the  armies  which  had  conquered  it. 
Doubtless  the  vanity  of  a  sensitive  people  received  many  deep 
wounds  at  the  period  of  which  we  are  speaking.  The  removal  of 
the  Car  of  Victory  to  Berlin,  whence  it  had  been  taken,  of  the 
Horses  of  St.  Mark,  and  the  rich  treasures  of  the  Louvre,  could 
not  fail  of  occasioning  much  bitterness  at  the  moment.  Yet,  as 
the  proceeding  was  dictated  by  the  purest  principles  of  justice, 
there  is  probably  no  right-minded  Frenchman  living  who  would 
now  raise  his  voice  against  it.  So  also  in  regard  to  the  quarter- 
ing, throughout  a  series  of  years,  of  foreign  troops  in  the  most 
important  of  the  French  fortresses  ;  no  measure  less  stringent 
seemed  to  afford  a  hope  of  permanent  repose  to  Europe  ;  and 
that  it  was  as  wisely  arranged  as  honorably  fulfilled  on  both  sides, 
the  continuance  of  a  thirty  years'  peace  has  shown.  Moreover, 
whatever  may  have  been  the  irregularities  of  which,  on  their  first 
arrival  in  the  country,  some  of  the  allied  troops  were  guilty,  the 
bitterest  enemies  of  the  Restoration  will  allow  that  these  were 
soon  put  a  stop  to.  Indeed,  in  this  as  in  other  respects,  the 
Duke  showed  himself  not  less  wise  in  council  than  gallant  in 
fight.  His  letters  and  dispatches  are  full  of  complaints  of  the 
lax  discipline  which  prevailed  among  some  of  his  allies — his  orders 
show  that  he  would  permit  no  such  laxity  to  prevail  in  the  ranks 
of  British  regiments ;  and  the  consequence  was,  that  till  the 
clemency  of  the  victor  produced,  as  it  is  apt  to  do,  unbecoming 
insolence  in  the  vanquished,  the  French  people  regarded  the 
soldiers  of  England  as  their  best  protectors  against  violence  from 
other  quarters. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1815,  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
addressed  to  the  allied  army,  which  had  fought  under  him  at 
Waterloo  and  marched  with  triumph  into  Paris,  a  valedictory 
order.  The  several  corps  that  were  not  required  to  complete  the 


310  STORY  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO.    [CHAP,  xxxvii 

contingent  which  England  had  engaged  to  furnish,  forthwith  re- 
turned to  their  respective  countries.  The  Austrians,  the  Rus- 
sians, the  troops  of  the  minor  German  states,  were  already  gone  ; 
and  a  large  portion  of  the  army  of  Prussia  had  departed  in  like 
manner.  There  now  remained  only  150,000  men,  of  which, 
though  composed  of  the  troops  of  various  nations,  his  Grace 
assumed  the  command.  These,  as  is  well  known,  retained  a  mili- 
tary possession  of  France  till  the  King's  government  seemed  to 
have  taken  root,  and  the  institutions  of  the  country  were  con- 
solidated ;  after  which  they,  in  their  turn,  broke  up,  and  peace 
was  restored  to  Europe. — Esto  perpdua  ! 


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